Hypermotion 2019: Mobility Intelligently Connected

With IAA and Hypermotion, Frankfurt offers two large mobility fairs that would actually complement each other well. From November 26 to 28, 2019, experts, start-ups, and technology companies met in the Main metropolis to present and discuss new solutions for traffic, transport, infrastructure, and logistics. For the first time, the German Mobility Congress and the STUVA Conference, the event for the tunnel construction industry, were also held at the Frankfurt exhibition center. Around 3,000 participants networked with the aim of advancing the mobility transition.

Detlef Braun, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt, draws a positive balance:

“The traffic transformation is here. Now it's about developing marketable solutions for the future – for this, Hypermotion at the mobility location Frankfurt, centrally located, is the ideal platform. Numerous users and providers have met here over the past three days, all with one goal: to find new business models for the traffic, transport, infrastructure, mobility, and logistics of tomorrow.”

The offerings were again colorful and diverse – and well organized. In exhibition hall 1.2, many innovative technologies and services could be experienced live – and across different modes of transport. From ride-sharing to mobility-on-demand to new vehicle concepts and alternative propulsion methods. Added to this were cargo bikes, drones, ideas for the Hyperloop. Hypermotion was complemented by digital solutions on the topics of supply chain and the last mile. Participants from 27 countries visited the mobility fair.

It also provided the platform for the German Mobility Congress. Here too, the focus was on mobility in cities and metropolitan areas. The participants used the exhibition and talks within the framework of Hypermotion to exchange ideas with logistics and mobility pioneers. Prof. Knut Ringat, Managing Director and Spokesperson of the Management Board of Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund:

“Our decision to hold the German Mobility Congress as part of Hypermotion is the right way. Only by bundling the industry's forces at one event do valuable synergies arise from which all attendees benefit. Frankfurt, as one of the most important transport hubs nationwide, is an excellent location for this.”

The federal government used Hypermotion as a platform and created numerous opportunities for personal exchange in a “Green City Marketplace.” The common goal of all involved is to align public traffic spaces with the changing mix of individual and public transport, including logistics traffic. Additionally, they want to provide the necessary space for environmentally friendly modes of transport. City planner and architect Jan Gehl from Copenhagen emphasized in his lecture “Cities for People” that cities should place people more at the center of their future urban development. The Urban Mobility Lab dealt with the city of the future, what makes cities livable, and what role new technologies such as connectivity and digitization play.

New to the start was the STUVA Conference and Expo, the event for the tunnel construction industry, which took place concurrently in Hall 5.1 and attracted 3,300 visitors. With the new online platform “National Competence Network for Sustainable Urban Mobility,” or NaKoMo for short, which launched mid-year, the BMVI (Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure) is promoting important networking between cities and municipalities for the “Immediate Program for Clean Air 2017-2020.”

But digitization also remained a topic. New technologies enable real-time analysis of environmental and traffic data. This helps in the recording, monitoring, and optimization of traffic flows. The most important topic in this context was safety. Companies such as Siemens Mobility, FLIR, INRIX, and PSI Logistics presented innovative ideas and concepts at Hypermotion that contribute to an intelligent and holistic transport system of the future.

The HUSS publishing house was also strongly represented: With Think Tanks from VISION mobility and within the framework of the two-day international supply chain summit EXCHAiNGE. Here, seven sessions and two live pitches took place, and in the end, a high-caliber jury awarded two winners: The Supply Chain Management Award went to Continental, and the Smart Solution Award to parcelLab. The finalists included Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services, Magazino, Metrilus, Nokia, Robert Bosch, and shipcloud. The audience on-site also had a voice, which was incorporated into the jury's decision through live voting on November 26.

But there were also practical activities: At the Micro Mobility Course, e-scooters, e-rollers, and cargo bikes could be extensively tested. The next Hypermotion will take place in Frankfurt from November 10 to 12, 2020. And for those who needed a break from all the information and movement, there were numerous lounges and seating areas inviting them to reflect and linger.

What does it mean?

Hypermotion 2019 was better structured than ever before and provided an extremely broad overview of how future urban and last-mile traffic can be organized. The start-up atmosphere, with high-quality panel discussions on multiple stages, remained pleasant as ever.