From September 7 to 12, 2021, scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) represented their research projects at the IAA Mobility. In keeping with the triad between science, business and society, MCube was part of the "Citizens Lab" at Marienplatz in the heart of Munich. The aim of the "Citizens Lab" was to bring together all those who want to jointly work out and understand mobility issues of the future and develop possible solutions.

IAA Mobility erstmals in München

With the move from Frankfurt to Munich, the IAA Mobility presented itself with a new concept this year. Lectures, discussions and presentations for the trade took place over several days in the exhibition halls in Riem. At the same time, information rooms were set up in downtown Munich to serve as "Open Spaces" for interested citizens. The goal: to make new mobility concepts freely accessible to the public, to test the new ideas and concepts, and to engage in a lively exchange.

In total, more than 400,000 visitors were counted at all venues. The "Open Spaces" in the city, and thus also the "Citizens Lab", were very well attended. In addition to exhibitors such as EIT Urban Mobility, HÜRO Mobility and the Senior Citizens' Advisory Council of the City of Munich, MCube was also present.  

TUM: Bundled mobility competence as part of the Citizens Lab

In particular, with the expansion of the TUM.Mobility platform, TUM bundles research from various chairs that deal with innovation in the field of mobility. In addition to MCube, the TUM area of the "Citizens Lab" therefore included a bicycle simulator from the Chair of Traffic Engineering, through which visitors could test the new collision warning system on a ride through a virtual city. The TUM stand also offered insights into projects such as Providentia++, which deals with the topic of autonomous driving, or the Hyperloop project of the Faculty of Aeronautics, Astronautics and Geodesy, which is researching climate-neutral, ground-based means of transport for ultra-fast connections between mobility centres.

Participants of the MCube student project "euMOVE - European Mobility Venture" also presented part of their research results in the Dialog Arena, which was also part of the "Citizens Lab". The presentation followed the principle of Pecha Kucha, in which 20 consecutive images structure the presentation, but none of them can be seen for longer than 20 seconds.

In dialogues, presentations, demonstrations and extensive information material, general and individual questions, ideas and concerns of the civilian population were addressed here. Right in the middle: MCube as a regional network of actors from science, business and society. The interdisciplinary team of researchers informed visitors at the stand about the launch of the future cluster and exchanged views with visitors on the burning questions and challenges in the mobility sector. Central topics at the TUM stand in the "Citizens Lab" - such as sustainability, social justice and ethical issues surrounding automation - clearly showed that the road ahead will be exciting and must be shaped in a participatory manner. 

MCube @IAA Mobility in the media

Auch die Presse greifte die Präsenz von MCube auf der IAA Mobility auf. Mitglieder des MCube-Konsortiums waren dabei gleich zwei Mal vertreten: In einem Beitrag vom 6. September 2021 des ZDF heute JOURNAL erklärt Professor Gebhard Wulfhorst als Leitung des Lehrstuhls für Siedlungsstruktur und Verkehrsplanung, dass er große Veränderungen in der Form, Antrieb und Nutzung des Autos erwarte. Dennoch betont er:

"I think it's also important that we remain self-reliant in our own mobility choices."

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gebhard Wulfhorst

Des Weiteren prognostiziert Professor Markus Lienkamp als Leitung des Lehrstuhls für Fahrzeugtechnik in einem Interview mit dem ZDF heute JOURNAL (7. September 2021) auf Basis der Forschungsergebnisse seines Teams:

"By the mid-2020s, electric vehicles will no longer be more expensive than internal combustion engine-powered vehicles."

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Markus Lienkamp