IAA Mobility 2021: Siemens is involved everywhere in the mobility transition
Under the motto "#MoveToTransform," the Munich-based Siemens Group presented itself at IAA Mobility 2021 at its headquarters in the city. As a technology company, they aim to take a holistic view of today's and future mobility. The goal is to combine technical products and digital solutions to make industry, infrastructure, and transportation more intelligent, efficient, and sustainable.
"The shift to e-mobility is in full swing – with our expertise, we help the automotive industry to accelerate this transformation even further. The goal is to bring electric cars to the road faster, more efficiently, and more sustainably. This can only be achieved with state-of-the-art automation and digitalization solutions," explained Cedrik Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Digital Industries.
For this, the group offers a broad portfolio, with many electric vehicles also carrying a "good portion of Siemens DNA." Besides the group's charging solutions, intelligent and powerful grids are essential for safe, economical, and ecological operation. Here, they intend to leverage their decades-long and worldwide experience, positioning themselves as a partner for OEMs, energy providers, fleet operators, companies, cities, and end customers.
"Electromobility is one of the most important pillars for the Green Recovery after the pandemic. We are working with customers, partners, and governments to ensure the necessary charging infrastructure is in place to accelerate adoption," analyzes Matthias Rebellius, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG and CEO of Smart Infrastructure.
Mix of Software and Hardware
Rebellius sees the company well-positioned with its hardware and software portfolio for the seamless integration of charging into the existing infrastructure, moreover, he points out digital solutions that support energy efficiency and decarbonization. For the company, a sustainable mobility mix is what matters.
“Urbanization is causing traffic volume to rise further, while at the same time we aim to drastically reduce CO2 emissions. Therefore, it is important to intelligently network means of transport. Road and rail seamlessly integrate, and rail, being the most sustainable mode of transport, forms the backbone of future mobility," outlines Karl Blaim, Managing Director of Siemens Mobility.
Through digital technologies, the Mobility division of the company increases the capacity, efficiency, and comfort of rail transport; they network with Mobility-as-a-Service solutions with other means of transport. Additionally, hydrogen- and battery-powered trains are intended to complement CO2-neutral rail transport where electric overhead lines are not cost-effective, Blaim further explains.
Simulation Startup Simulytic to Explore New Fields
As a contribution to the rapid transformation in transportation, the Munich-based technology company presented Simulytic at IAA Mobility, a newly founded Siemens Venture. The in-house startup, led by Andrea Kollmorgen, aims to accelerate the development of Autonomous Mobility on a broad scale. The goal is to provide insights into the impact and safety aspects of autonomous vehicles through simulation. Specifically, the aim is to bring transparency to the risk profiles of self-driving vehicles at any time and any place, it is further stated. The joint venture leverages Siemens' expertise in the simulation of complex, automated systems and the application of artificial intelligence in safety-critical applications.
Added Value: Risk Assessment of Autonomous Driving
The insights into autonomous vehicle technology enable the new company to perform competitive, comprehensive, and independent assessments of incident probabilities, changing traffic flows and congestion patterns, impacts of weather events and road conditions, and many other local factors, according to Munich. This is intended to create added value for customers such as insurance companies to understand the risk potential in increasingly automated road traffic, and thereby establish the right products, appropriate prices, and effective strategies for the future with autonomous vehicles.
Eye-catcher: The Mobility Movers were memorialized as figures on the charging stations. | Photo: Siemens
Opening round of the IAA in its own forum at Wittelsbacher Platz. | Photo: Siemens
The MobilityMover like Zhang Xi, who works on inclusive charging infrastructure, share their approach to the topic of mobility. | Photo: Siemens
Former Bayern star Giovane Elber also explains his motivation for sustainable mobility. | Photo: Siemens
Nari Kahle has written a book about "Mobility in Motion." | Photo: Siemens
The well-known activist Raul Krauthausen advocates for accessible mobility and charging infrastructure. | Photo: Siemens
The opening panel in the Siemens Forum covered the entire portfolio. | Photo: Siemens
Devina Pasta, Digital and Innovation Chief at Siemens Mobility, outlined the company's MaaS plans. | Photo: Siemens
Siemens Mobility CEO Karl Blaim sees the company well-positioned in all areas. | Photo: Siemens
Autonomously in Motion: Andrea Kollmorgen, CEO and co-founder of Simulytic, clarified the plans for the research on automated driving technologies. | Photo: Siemens
Cedrik Neike, Siemens-AG-Vorstand und CEO Digital Industries sieht große Nachhaltigkeitschancen durch Digitalisierung. | Foto: Siemens
Vor dem Stammsitz des Konzerns am Wittelsbacher Platz konnten Besucher ihre eigene Energie umsetzen und speichern lassen. | | Foto: Siemens
Automation Makes Electric Charging More Accessible
The increasing automation in the mobility sector is the focus of the "Siemens Autonomous Charging System" project, which also made its debut at the IAA. The project addresses questions such as who plugs in the charging connector when an autonomous car independently finds a parking spot. The charging system from Munich is designed to enable the fully automated charging of electric vehicles, from sporty cars to long-haul trucks. The prototype presented in Munich boasts a charging capacity of up to 300 kW, which is set to be expanded to over one megawatt in the next development phase. This capacity allows electric trucks to be charged within the mandatory break times for drivers.
However, the corresponding cables would be too heavy for individuals. Thus, the specially developed charging robot is intended to handle the heavy load when charging heavy-duty traffic. To test the system in real-life conditions and bring it to market readiness, Siemens is collaborating with the Swedish start-up Einride AB, a leading developer of autonomous and electric transport systems. As part of the development, an autonomous truck was powered by an autonomous fast-charging system for the first time.
Creating More Inclusive Charging Infrastructures
Additionally, other fields of application are conceivable. For instance, the autonomous charging system could also take over charging for persons with physical limitations. This aims to advance the development of inclusive infrastructures. Currently, tenders for the expansion of charging infrastructure rarely include guidelines or standards that enable people with limited mobility to participate in the electric car traffic. Together with the association Sozialhelden e.V., workshops were conducted during the IAA, and there is cooperation with the well-known activist Raul Krauthausen, who, together with his association Sozialhelden e.V., has been advocating for barrier-free mobility for years. The goal is to address questions such as how charging stations for electric cars can be designed to be barrier-free. How accessible are the plugs? Or how can blind people, who may one day be traveling in self-driving electric vehicles, pay for their charging?
“I dream of mobility services everywhere that are equally accessible to all people. Smart cities, smart infrastructure, smart public transport must become standard for every single person, including people with disabilities,” explains Raul Krauthausen.
Campaign with Prominent "Mobility Movers"
The collaboration with the founder of Sozialhelden e.V. is a central part of the #MoveToTransform campaign, through which Siemens advocates for a forward-thinking shift in mobility. To this end, the company showcases eight so-called “Mobility Movers,” who work with great dedication on initiatives, projects, or in their professions towards the mobility transition. Among them are Alex Bangula, who runs a YouTube channel sharing his experiences with e-mobility; automotive manager Dr. Nari Kahle, who promotes social innovations in the field of mobility; Giovane Élber, former footballer and brand ambassador of FC Bayern Munich; and Anita Mathieu, who develops intelligent traffic control solutions. The company placed 3D representations of the eight mobility ambassadors on the charging infrastructure provided for the Blue Lane Road. As the official charging infrastructure partner of the Blue Lane Road, Siemens installed 68 charging points at the starting point of the route, with a total charging capacity of 3.6 MW.
Digital Enterprise for the Automotive Industry
Moreover, the corporation highlights its solution portfolio of industrial software, automation, and services tailored to the specific needs of the automotive industry, providing the necessary flexibility and efficiency to meet increasingly diverse customer demands and the growing demand for electric cars. In particular, the creation of "digital twins" in the automotive industry offers advantages, it markets. The number of prototypes needed during the development of a car can be significantly reduced. Additionally, the use of production data can enhance quality by early detection and resolution of potential quality issues, the corporation further advocates.
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