National Platform Future of Mobility launched at first Steering Committee meeting
Berlin, 26 September 2018
The new National Platform Future of Mobility was launched on 26 September 2018, when the Steering Committee held its inaugural meeting at the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Under the auspices of the Ministry, the Platform’s six working groups will develop holistic solutions for sustainable, affordable and climate-friendly mobility. The new Platform will be chaired by Henning Kagermann, former Chair of the German National Platform for Electric Mobility and Chairman of the acatech Board of Trustees.
Technological advances and changes in society are set to fundamentally transform our mobility system, at a time when Germany is also facing the challenge of achieving its climate and environmental targets. The transport sector, which is increasingly tied to the energy sector, will have an important part to play in this regard. Accordingly, on 19 September, the German Cabinet adopted the decision to establish a National Platform Future of Mobility (NPM). The establishment of the new NPM delivers on the commitment made in the current government’s coalition agreement to relaunch the German National Platform for Electric Mobility (NPE) as a platform on the “Future of Mobility”. The coalition agreement also provides for a Commission tasked with formulating a strategy on the “future of affordable and sustainable mobility”. This Commission will be incorporated into the NPM.
The issues addressed by the former German National Platform for Electric Mobility will be carried across to the new Platform’s structures. “I welcome the fact that the new National Platform Future of Mobility will address the topic of mobility in an integrated manner and continue the successful work of the German National Platform for Electric Mobility”, said NPM Chair Henning Kagermann. “We can not think of the major technological drivers of connectivity, automated driving, the sharing economy and electrification in isolation any longer – it is the combination of these factors that is fundamentally transforming our mobility system. We must actively, strategically and coherently shape every dimension of mobility across all modes of transport in order to secure affordable, sustainable and climate-friendly mobility and maintain the competitiveness of businesses and jobs in Germany. The NPM will develop strategies and recommendations for achieving this goal.”
The Platform will comprise a Steering Committee and six working groups. At the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee, it was decided that the working groups should address the following themes:
- Climate protection in the transportation sector
- Sustainable mobility: Alternative drives and fuels
- Digitalisation in the mobility sector
- Germany as a place for mobility and production, battery cell production, primary materials and recycling, training and qualification
- Connection of mobility and energy networks, sector coupling (in particular: energy and mobility)
- Standardisation, certification and registration
In addition to the Platform’s Chair and the chairs of the six working groups, the Steering Committee also includes representatives of the Ministry, regional and local government, industry, transport and environmental organisations and the trade unions.
