What opportunities does digitalisation bring for our urban mobility? Dorothee Bär, Minister of State for Digitalisation at the Federal Chancellor's Office, Florian Hahn, Member of the Bundestag, and Ernst Weidenbusch, Member of the Landtag, visited the Garching-based technology specialist in-tech on 10 July to find out about ideas for intelligent mobility - from car sharing and electric mobility to helpful apps in the "smart city". The company develops solutions for the future of mobility - which is largely digital, the focus of Minister of State Dorothee Bär's work.

Getting there faster with smart apps

in-tech has made a name for itself as a specialist in automotive electronics and advises car manufacturers worldwide, for example in the development of autonomous and connected vehicles. The company is also concerned with future mobility concepts: "In the future, we will also use alternative transport options in everyday life and use the most favourable mix of different means of transport in each case," says Christian Wagner, Managing Director of in-tech. "In the smart city, our own car, car sharing, public transport, ride services or bike sharing exist as equal offers that we use as needed."

The smartphone should make everyday life much easier: "Intelligent apps show us the best transport mix for getting from A to B - whether by public transport or by car. My mobile phone then books me, for example, an S-Bahn ticket or a parking space for the car, pays for the charging of the electric vehicle or reserves a bike-sharing bike for the last few metres in the city centre," Wagner explains his vision for the mobility of the future.

Smarter, simpler, more sustainable - digitisation in the service of quality of life

Digitisation is therefore not an end in itself, but is in the service of quality of life: getting from A to B faster and easier, protecting the environment, arriving safely at one's destination and doing useful things on the road. "Digital services in mobility should make everyday life more worth living," says Bär, welcoming in-tech's project.

The city of the future should not only become smart, but also green. Another focus on the path to new mobility is therefore the switch to electric mobility. This is a challenge for municipalities in particular. Under the name e-troFit, the Garching-based company is currently implementing a professional conversion solution for diesel buses and other commercial vehicles. "With the conversion to electric drive, we make these existing vehicles fit for the future and offer a sustainable alternative to buying new," says Christian Wagner. The first diesel bus is currently being converted in a pilot project with the city of Landshut and is expected to start driving by the end of the year. A large number of other municipalities have already expressed interest.

But digital services are also necessary for the upcoming expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. Garching is also working on this: the experts at in-tech are developing solutions for communication between cars, charging stations and the power grid. Dorothee Bär, who served as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport in the last government, was impressed by in-tech's innovative strength, as were her colleagues Hahn and Weidenbusch.