The Mobility Technology Center (MTC) of ERGO, Munich Re, in-tech and MaLiBu, the consulting company of Professor Markus Lienkamp, Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich, was launched in Munich today. The MTC is a service company that develops innovative and automotive insurance products and risk management solutions. Its services focus on the topics of electromobility, automated and autonomous driving, new mobility concepts as well as digital and integrated services. Automotive, mobility and insurance companies from Germany and abroad will be able to commission the services of the MTC in the future.

"The mobility of the future is electric, autonomous and characterised by digital and situational offers. This also has a direct impact on insurers and their services," explains Karsten Crede, member of the Board of Management of ERGO Digital Ventures AG and responsible for ERGO Mobility Solutions, the insurer's automotive and mobility subsidiary. "More advanced sensor technology and greater computing power in the vehicle make it possible to dynamically and continuously assess the risks of modern cars and expand existing methods such as crash tests. The comprehensive equipment with sensors, 'functions on demand', 'over-the-air updates' or flexible ownership or usage concepts open up new options for insurers, but also force them to act: It's about developing smart insurance for smart cars."

"With the MTC, we are combining expertise from the automotive and insurance industries with findings from applied science to develop customised solutions for the mobility of tomorrow," explains Christian Wagner, CEO and founder of in-tech, one of the largest service providers in the German automotive industry. "Not least, autonomous driving requires new business models and insurance solutions, which we will work on with the infrastructure of the MTC."

From benchmark analyses for high-voltage batteries to modern risk assessments for assistance systems

In future, insurance solutions and services for the new mobility will be developed at the MTC on behalf of insurers, car manufacturers and mobility service providers. The focus is primarily on technology- and data-based risk analyses and assessments, on the basis of which corresponding insurance products will be developed.

For high-voltage batteries, for example, the MTC offers a standardised comparison of all performance characteristics and develops models for analysing and forecasting the ageing of battery cells in the vehicle under real conditions. For example, warranty insurers can offer insurance solutions for batteries on this basis.

The evaluation of driver assistance systems with regard to safety and effectiveness, especially in relevant accident situations, is another service that the MTC will offer car manufacturers and insurers. The aim is to provide partners with a dynamic risk assessment in order to create incentives for customers to purchase and use assistance systems.

In addition, the integration of digital on-demand insurance in the vehicle and the development of risk management concepts for mobility service providers play an important role.

Professor Markus Lienkamp, CEO and founder of MaLiBu Vehicle Concept Engineering and head of the Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich: "The experts at the MTC have access to the latest findings from science and research and unique resource equipment such as test benches, battery test chambers, data loggers or driving simulators, for example, to push high-voltage batteries and assistance systems to the limit. We see considerable potential for designing innovative insurance solutions using the dynamic developments in automotive technologies."

"With the spin-off of the MTC as an independent company, we have created excellent conditions for generating more confidence for new technologies and business models at the interface between the mobility and insurance industries. In this way, the MTC is making a contribution to making the mobility of tomorrow safe and sustainable," says Karsten Crede.

The MTC will start operations in June 2022, subject to approval by the relevant regulatory authorities.