Tyskland accelererar mot autonom körning: En ny federal strategi och lärdomar från mobility move

"The only source of knowledge is experience." Albert Einstein. Germany has a strategy and they are able to execute. My main take away from Germany and the mobility move organized by VDV is that Germany wants to achieve more, and they are motivated to work with partners that can help them to achieve goals.

The mission of the mobility move is to assure industry making buses, operators of buses and government meet each other and interchange needs, ideas, solutions and policies.  From April 2 to 4, 2025, Berlin once again became the meeting point for the bus industry: More than 1,500 participants and 100 exhibitors gathered at mobility move, the leading industry event for road-based public transport, hosted by VDV and DEVK. Across five stages, 150 experts shared their strategies, technical innovations, and visions for shaping the future of mobility.

VDV President Ingo Wortmann opened the conference with a clear message: Public transport is essential public service. But it relies on reliability, secure funding, and skilled personnel. Amid political uncertainty, the event provided a platform for forward-looking debates – including responses to EU directives like the Clean Vehicles Directive, which demands the shift to low-emission technologies.

Electric mobility took center stage: Both battery-electric and hydrogen-powered buses are market-ready. The current focus lies in optimizing operations – from battery management to fleet deployment. However, the transition will require continued political support due to high additional costs.

Autonomous driving was another key topic: Technological progress and international use cases highlighted the potential of driverless public transport to address growing workforce shortages. Interest in these solutions has clearly intensified.

Digitalization emerged as a cross-cutting theme: Integrated systems, IoT, smart ticketing solutions, and standardized interfaces enhance passenger experience and operational efficiency. 

People remain at the heart of mobility: Modern recruitment strategies, training initiatives, and employer branding once again featured prominently. After all, the mobility transition can only succeed with qualified and motivated personnel.

Despite a challenging political and financial environment, the event sent a strong message: The industry is united, ready to lead the transformation – but it needs strong political support. Once again in 2025, mobility move proved itself as the key platform for dialogue, innovation, and collaborative progress toward the future of public mobility.

The German Federal Government launched 12. April its comprehensive strategy to solidify Germany's position as a global frontrunner in autonomous driving for road transport. This ambitious plan aims to transition the nation from a pioneer in autonomous vehicle legislation to a leader in real-world implementation, focusing initially on public and freight transport to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and safety. 

Key Pillars of the Federal Strategy:

• Establishing Germany as a Leading Innovation and Production Hub: The core objective is to create an environment conducive to the development and deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies, attracting investment and fostering domestic expertise. 
• Focus on Public and Freight Transport: Recognizing the immediate potential for societal benefit, the strategy prioritizes the integration of autonomous vehicles into public transportation networks and freight logistics. This includes initiatives for autonomous buses, on-demand shuttles, and goods delivery vehicles. 
• Creating the "World's Largest Single Operating Area": A key ambition is to establish a unified regulatory and operational framework across Germany by 2028, facilitating the seamless deployment of autonomous vehicles nationwide.
• Leveraging Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS): The strategy emphasizes the critical role of vehicle-to-infrastructure communication technologies to enhance safety, traffic flow, and overall efficiency. 
• Phased Implementation: A detailed, four-phase approach guides the integration of autonomous public transport, encompassing planning, strategy development, operational planning, and implementation with success control. 
• Innovation-Friendly Framework: The government aims to create a regulatory landscape that encourages innovation while ensuring the highest safety standards. 

Implementation in Germany: From Legislation to Reality

Germany has already laid significant groundwork for autonomous driving with progressive legislation the 2022 Autonomous Vehicle Authorisation and Operation Directive (AFGBV): Further specified the regulations for the operation of Level 4 vehicles, including requirements for operational areas and technical supervision. 

Building on this legal foundation, numerous pilot projects are now underway across Germany to test and integrate autonomous vehicles into real-world scenarios. 

Hamburg's Autonomous Ridepooling Initiative (ALIKE): This ambitious project aims to deploy a large fleet of autonomous, electric on-demand shuttles in Hamburg, integrated into the public transport network via the MOIA solution. The goal is to have up to 2,000 such vehicles operating by the end of the decade. 

With the project ALIKE and AHOI Hamburg is taking the next step towards the mobility transition. With autonomous shuttles from Volkswagen and Holon as a supplement to traditional public transport, Alike with the partners are trialling a particularly flexible and convenient service. The ALIKE project will bring autonomous mobility to life in Hamburg. The first autonomous shuttles will be travelling on Hamburg's streets in a test operation as early as mid-2025. The aim of the project is to learn exactly how autonomous vehicles can improve local public transport - so that we can then expand the public transport services in our city in the long term.

The KIRA project will learn how autonomous vehicles from NIO with the autonomous driving solution from MobileEye can be integrated into existing public transport services in the long term. It is important to gather experience in both rural and urban transport environments. The KIRA shuttles operate in parts of the city of Darmstadt and in the western part of the Offenbach district. They move freely on the approved road network while always choosing the best route. 

The NeMo.bil project is coordinated by INYO Mobility GmbH and is developing an innovative, swarm-like mobility system. This enables a novel form of sustainable and needs-based transportation of people and goods in rural areas. To this end, a new systemic approach is being pursued, based on two different vehicles: NeMo.Cab automated ultralight vehicles and NeMo.Pro larger towing vehicles. The smaller NeMo.Cabs seat up to four people. They form a convoy on longer routes, providing the first and last mile of passenger transport. The convoy is pulled by the larger automated vehicle (NeMo.Pro). NeMo.Pros are also used to transport 15-20 people and act as mobile charging stations. This allows the convoy to travel longer distances and at higher speeds. By combining and merging the differently designed vehicles, the overall system (NeMo.bil) achieves unrivalled energy efficiency.

The ALBUS project aims to integrate three fully automated electric buses from KARSAN, ADASTEC with a remote fleet management system from Applied Autonomy for ongoing use in the regular public transportation system of the Hannover region. The project explores and evaluates societal acceptance, impacts on traffic and the environment, and technical integration through accompanying studies and communications efforts. These insights are intended both to ensure successful operations in Hannover and to serve as an example for future projects in Germany and beyond.

I can recommend a visit to mobility move in 2026 taking place 10th - 12th March in Berlin!

/Olav Madland, Applied Autonomy