Regional conference on the mobility transition

Karlsruhe, September 25, 2025

Regional conference Mobility Turnaround 2025: AI guides the traffic of the future

Cross-border ideas, autonomous systems and smart data at the heart of the regional conference in Karlsruhe

The 8th Regional Conference Mobility Turnaround, a joint event of the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegionTRK) and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (MRN), was held on September 23, 2025 in the Karlsruhe Garden Hall under the motto "Intelligent Mobility - Innovations and AI for the Future". Around 500 participants, 40 speakers and 30 exhibitors took part in the event. Successful mobility projects were presented and discussed together with high-ranking representatives from politics, science and companies. The focus was particularly on the opportunities and challenges arising for the mobility of the future through the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Kick-off and initial impetus

After the opening by TRK, Jochen Ehlgötz, and the Head of the MRN's Future Fields and Innovation division, Dr. Doris Wittneben, City Planning Councillor Frauke Burgdorff provided insights into the city of Aachen's mobility strategy and emphasized: "Our task is to make mobility easy for people by taking them on a journey through a well-designed city". Further keynote speeches and panel discussions were on the agenda for the morning. In the first panel discussion, panel participants from local politics presented successful concepts that enable forward-looking mobility despite limited budgets, but also openly and honestly discussed the strained budget situation of local authorities. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TRK GmbH and Lord Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe, Dr. Frank Mentrup, emphasized: "Despite the tense situation, the meeting of committed experts once again showed optimism for the future and a willingness to change in order to make cities more liveable and at the same time more mobile. The great strength of the Regional Conference Mobility Turnaround is evident in this shared emotion and the resulting network". The Mayor of Strasbourg, Joël Steffen, also emphasized: "It is important for us that cross-border infrastructures and networks are further developed. Here, the regional conference facilitated an exchange and provided exciting impetus - also with regard to possible financing concepts". Alexander Thewalt, Alderman of the City of Ludwigshafen, also made it clear: "We should make good use of the available space. What makes a street liveable for everyone? Shading is important for a pleasant stay. This quickly brings us to the highly emotional discussion: parking spaces or trees?"

Focus on autonomous transport

In the keynote speech by Magdalena Linnig, Managing Director of Stadtverkehr Friedrichshafen, and in the second panel discussion that followed, mobility experts from science and business examined autonomous transport systems and the possibilities for their implementation. The joint conclusion: a large number of pilot projects show that automated public transport is technically possible. For a transition from pilot projects to real operation, a joint development platform is now crucial, which bundles previous findings in order to achieve standardization and economies of scale and to get legal framework conditions on the way.

Future Mobility Award

The morning program concluded with the presentation of the Future Mobility Award, which honours international start-ups for innovative and sustainable mobility solutions. This year's winner is the start-up Nevomo with its innovative MagRail technology for modernizing existing railroad infrastructure using magnetic drive components.

Specialist forums in the afternoon

In the afternoon, the participants discussed the following topics in four specialist forums:

• "Smart mobility - AI and data as drivers of the future"
• "Operational mobility management - efficient solutions for companies"
• "Sustainable tourism - mobility solutions for the journey of tomorrow"
• "Innovative mobility concepts for a future worth living"

Current requirements and challenges were discussed in the various subject areas, but successful concepts and digital solutions were also presented. For example, communication and funding opportunities for measures and projects were also discussed.

Conclusion with international impulses

In the final session, a special highlight awaited the participants at the end of the conference: Prof. Dr. Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), showed in his keynote how hybridity is changing work, leisure and services and requires a rethink in urban development and transport planning. Prof. Dr. Christoph Hupfer, Director of the Baden-Württemberg Institute for Sustainable Mobility (BWIM) at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, then presented a vision of mobility that showed how road users can work together to shape the mobility of tomorrow.

Accompanying exhibition

There was a full-day accompanying exhibition in the garden hall of the Karlsruhe Congress Center, where participants could experience intelligent, networked and climate-friendly mobility up close. Over 30 exhibitors from Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland presented their products, services and ideas on an area of around 2,000 square meters.

Sponsors and partners

The 8th Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition was supported by EnBW AG, init SE, Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund GmbH (KVV), L-Bank, PTV Planung Transport Verkehr GmbH, THOST Projektmanagement GmbH and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar GmbH. Cooperation partners were the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Transport and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture, media partners were NahverkehrsPraxis and SWR Studio Karlsruhe. The event was held as part of the EU-funded "European Digital Innovation Hub Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (EDIH-AICS)" project.