A word from Prof. Dr. Henning Kagermann, Chair of the Steering Committee

Mobility affects each one of us every day: it is part of individual freedom and a basis for prosperity and employment. For a sustainable mobility system of the future, we need to make transport more climate-friendly and at the same time strengthen competitiveness and social participation through innovation. We are experiencing a change in drive technologies, an increasing link between the energy and transport sectors and at the same time a radical digitalisation: automated driving, networking of vehicles and infrastructure, digital mobility platforms and disruptive business models make the significance of this clear. We are facing a great challenge for the whole society, but also an equally great opportunity to simultaneously improve our mobility and quality of life.

In the National Platform Future of Mobility, experts from all parts of society are represented in order to jointly develop a strategy for affordable, competitive and sustainable mobility. A sustainable transport system does not restrict mobility, it should enable more mobility with less traffic and less environmental pollution. Digitalisation in the transport sector holds the potential to turn the transformation of the mobility system into an innovative boost for our economy, to meet individual mobility needs better than before – especially in regions that have thus far been underserved and geared to the needs of an ageing society – to make a contribution to climate and environmental protection and to increase road safety. Digitalisation may, for example, make the flexible use of different modes of transport (multi-modality) and the change between different modes of transport during a journey (inter-modality) more convenient and user-friendly in the future. This will make it easier to switch from private cars to more environmentally-friendly alternatives. I am therefore very pleased that the WG 3 highlights this topic in its first interim report and points out the potential and needs for action. Thus, it makes an important contribution to the holistic consideration of mobility in the NPM.