On September 12th and 13th, the Technology Talks Austria 2024 took place at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna, where VIRTUAL VEHICLE, together with Andrea Leitner (AVL List), Chimani Christian (A3PS, AIT), and Günter Graf (Frequentis), held a workshop on the future of automated mobility in Europe.

The key takeaway: while automated mobility is already being intensively utilized in the U.S. and China, Europe still faces significant challenges. In collaboration with leading experts, solution were discussed to close the gap in scaling and implementation.

VIRTUAL VEHICLE CEO, Jost Bernasch, addressed the challenges and opportunities awaiting Europe in the field of automated mobility. A central point of discussion was the growing gap between the U.S. and Europe in terms of the commercialization and scaling of technological innovations.

This was illustrated with an example from automated mobility: Robo-taxi solutions are already operational in several cities in the U.S. and China, easily bookable via an app. Waymo, a pioneer in this field, completes 100,000 booked and paid rides per week in the U.S. This massive usage results in vast amounts of data and experience, accelerating the further development of the technology. Such solutions will eventually reach Europe, but urgent action is needed to avoid falling behind.

As illustrated in a 2023 study by “McKinsey & Company” (Mehr Tech-Champions made in Germany), Europe, as exemplified by Germany, significantly lags behind the U.S. in terms of the economic implementation of technologies.

Europe—and therefore Austria—must establish sufficiently large and focused funding measures to transform European innovations into scalable business models.

Key results of the workshop:

1. Economic Implementation and Scaling: Europe, and especially Austria, show significant weaknesses in the commercialization of technological innovations. There is a lack of structures and funding models that can successfully bring innovations to market beyond the development phase.
2. Horizon Europe (HEU): The European research framework program provides an important foundation for basic research and collaborations. However, to implement innovations in automated mobility, bold and large-scale funding programs are also needed. These programs should focus on implementation-oriented projects that are specifically aimed at market relevance and impact in future technologies. Projects with a volume of 30 to 50 million euros are required.
3. Focus on Exploitation Strategies: New funding and research programs must focus more on concrete exploitation strategies for scaling. It is crucial that innovations reach the market and provide measurable economic benefits. Examples include programs like ITEA or Joint Undertaking initiatives, which have successfully promoted the market introduction of new technologies.
4. Involvement of SMEs: To drive innovation forward, Austria’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must be better integrated. This includes reducing bureaucratic barriers and creating attractive conditions, such as clear and simple IRP regulations that make participation easier for SMEs.
5. Adaptation of the Legal Framework: In addition to funding measures, it is necessary to improve the legal framework in Austria. This includes increasing the volume of venture capital through tax adjustments and simplifying legal requirements for testing and approving new technologies.

The discussions in the workshop yielded exciting results.

It became clear that Europe needs bolder and more targeted actions to remain internationally competitive.

VIRTUAL VEHICLE will continue to play a central role in promoting such measures and is actively working to research innovative solutions for the market.