Thuringia Mobility Forum 2026
Impressions
As the Thuringian Innovation Center at TU Ilmenau, we have been organizing the Thuringia Mobility Forum—a flagship event for innovations in mobility and transport—every two years since 2011, in collaboration with partners from industry, academia, and state institutions. The eighth edition of the forum will take place on October 1, 2026, at the Parkcafé of the Festhalle Ilmenau, under the motto:
Vision Zero:
Clean mobility. Safe arrival.
This highly topical theme addressed the challenges and opportunities associated with electrification, automation, digitalization, and connectivity, encompassing both environmental sustainability and traffic safety. Featuring keynote speeches from industry and academia alongside other program elements, the forum fosters lively exchange, networking opportunities, and a creative exchange of ideas.
Exhibitor
Our Speakers
Andreas Rade
German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA)
Managing Director, Politics & Society Department
The Automotive Industry in Transition – Opportunities and Requirements for Success
The automotive industry is investing in the ramp-up of electromobility and requires the right framework conditions to do so. At the same time, it is evident that European legislation needs to adopt a more flexible approach in order to achieve industrial policy goals. Furthermore, geopolitical conditions and the competitive landscape in key target markets have shifted significantly. Manufacturers and suppliers alike must navigate these changes and adjust their strategies accordingly. Small and medium-sized industrial enterprises, in particular, play a vital role in the regions—a fact that calls for a policy response.
Susanne Schulz
Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes,
Head of Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Mobility
The highway thinks for itself – on the way to networked and autonomous driving
The development of new technologies means that roles change, new ones are added and boundaries become blurred. When it comes to the topics of networking and autonomous driving in mobility, this means that the two worlds of vehicle and road are merging. There needs to be a lot of understanding on both sides here. Because the functions and working methods are fundamentally different. Nevertheless, we must manage to build a common, interdisciplinary collaboration here. Everything for more road safety and a digital mobile future. This means thinking along the lines: in the distribution of roles, in technical understanding, in setting up and introducing new processes. And ideally at a European level and at the same time within your own company and always with an eye on external partners.
The lecture shows milestones in the field of cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) that we have already achieved and what experiences we can use from this to implement the legal obligations for autonomous driving.
Dr. rer. nat. Ingo Düring
Lohmeyer GmbH, Dresden Branch
Air Pollutant Limit Values 2030+: Rethinking Clean Mobility – The Interplay of Technology, Traffic Flow, and Environmental Management
The revised EU Air Quality Directive (2024) significantly tightens air quality requirements for European cities and presents new challenges for the transport sector. In addition to conventional exhaust emissions, non-exhaust sources—such as brake, tire, and road wear—are increasingly coming into focus. At the same time, measurements and modeling indicate that nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter levels in urban areas remain heavily influenced by road traffic.
This presentation provides an overview of the EU Air Quality Directive, contextualizes it within current knowledge regarding traffic-related emissions and urban air quality, and discusses effective measures for compliance with limit values. These measures include technological developments—such as lower-emission powertrains and improved braking systems—as well as the reduction of non-exhaust particulate emissions and strategies to improve traffic flow. A particular focus is placed on innovative control strategies using environmentally sensitive traffic management systems and on practical examples demonstrating how the interplay of vehicle technology, traffic control, and strategic planning can sustainably improve air quality and meet ambitious EU targets.
Anke Koller
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Authority for Transport and Mobility Transition
Head of Department for Transport Development and Mobility Strategy
Mobility Transition in Hamburg
Hamburg’s mobility transition exemplifies the profound transformation of urban transport systems in the 21st century. The Hanseatic city pursues an integrated approach that combines technological innovation with sustainable urban development. Key areas of focus include the electrification, automation, digitalization, and connectivity of transport. Electrifying public transit, municipal vehicle fleets, and private transport is a central strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions and air pollutants. At the same time, intelligent assistance systems and autonomous mobility solutions open up new possibilities for more efficient and safer traffic flow. Data-driven, connected transport systems provide real-time information for intelligent traffic management and user-oriented mobility services that interact in a flexible, intermodal, and resource-efficient manner.
This presentation examines the opportunities and challenges associated with these transformation processes, focusing in particular on Hamburg’s role as a model city for sustainable and intelligent mobility.
Alexander Moser-Haas
Head of the Politics and Transport Department at the German Road Safety Council (DVR) e.V.
Vision Zero as an Innovation and Risk Management Strategy
Vision Zero is more than just a target vision; it is a strategy for systematic risk management in road traffic. Based on the premise of human fallibility and vulnerability, it focuses on the interplay between people, infrastructure, and vehicles, and on identifying where risks can be detected early and mitigated through multiple layers of safety. The presentation covers a wide range of topics: from current areas of action in road safety and the potential and requirements of data- and AI-driven traffic management to driver assistance systems and connected, autonomous mobility. It also addresses the challenge of ensuring road safety amidst competing optimization goals. Finally, the presentation examines leadership and road safety culture within companies and organizations, as well as practical prevention and support measures.
Thomas Kraus
Managing Director, PWP Systems GmbH
Environmentally Oriented Traffic Management in Erfurt – System Architecture, Data Basis, Traffic and Environmental Monitoring, Traffic Control and Information
Environmentally oriented traffic control and information systems help reduce traffic-related air pollutant emissions (nitrogen oxides, particulate matter), thereby making a significant contribution to compliance with air pollutant immission limit values (in accordance with the EU Air Quality Directive). This presentation provides an overview of environmentally oriented traffic management using the state capital Erfurt as a case study, outlining the system architecture, data basis, traffic and environmental models employed, and the implemented traffic control and information measures. The outlook highlights the impact of fleet renewal and the benefits of data exchange between automated, connected vehicles and traffic management systems.
Dr. Sanwardhini Pantawane
Collaborative Innovation Manager, Valeo Schalter und Sensoren GmbH
CONTROL Joint Project – Controlling Risk for Highly Automated Transportation Systems Operating in Complex Open Environments
How can we guarantee the functional safety of highly automated transportation systems in an open, dynamic environment when it is impossible to test every conceivable scenario in advance? The VDA flagship project CONTROL builds a methodological bridge between road and rail transport to mathematically manage safety-relevant uncertainties during operation. Instead of relying solely on test-based validation, CONTROL employs the "Safety by Design" principle: the vehicle evaluates its own perception in real time and responds reliably to complex "long-tail" situations.
