"The facts speak for themselves," says Wilfried Mehr (54), summarizing his conviction. "For my children's generation, cars are no longer as important as they were for us or my parents. The fascination with cars is still there, but they are not prepared to bear the costs." Wilfried's calculation is simple: he compares a privately owned car today, costing 80 cents/km for many - and rising - with an autonomous vehicle, likely to cost 30 cents/km.
Another argument for him is that drivers are getting older, particularly given the baby boomers who will soon be retiring. "Future senior citizens will want to sit behind the wheel less – especially if there are comparable, easily accessible alternatives. This means that a movement is taking place in society: away from owning a car, towards being driven autonomously. We will get used to robots doing good things for us."
«For my children's generation, cars are no longer as important as they were for us or my parents. The fascination with cars is still there, but they are not prepared to bear the costs.»
For a better understanding, Wilfried explains where the car industry stands today: If the driver is responsible for the vehicle but receives automated support, such as intelligent cruise control that can keep its distance independently or a system that keeps the car in its lane, then we are talking about automated driving. However, the driver is always in control of the situation. If the vehicle itself is responsible, i.e. legally binding, we are talking about autonomous driving.
"Some companies have already started testing their fully autonomous vehicles on public roads. The technology has made great progress in recent years. We have never been this close to autonomous driving."
Get in touch and become a partner of our ecosystem. Let's offer more mobility solutions from one single source!
Since November 2023, Cruise LLC has been prohibited from putting autonomous cars on the streets of San Francisco following two accidents involving pedestrians. This has understandably led to a decline in public confidence and raised concerns about pedestrian safety. Wilfried believes the discussion should be more nuanced and safety must come first without compromise. "The task we want to accomplish technically is a demanding one. The industry needs to progress in small and safe steps. This is the typical learning curve that safety-critical technologies require, similar to air traffic acceptance. In the wake of recent accidents and to protect other road users, safety drivers, for example, will remain mandatory until safety is fully proven. This will help build trust in the technology and its ability to operate accident-free over billions of kilometers."
Wilfried is one of five founders at schwarzenberg.tech GmbH. Together, they offer 100 years of expertise in sensor and software development, data and project management, the industrialization and scaling of sophisticated technical products and autonomous driving. With their extensive business development experience, they help start-ups to scale and support the industry and its investors as technical advisors in the transformation to autonomous mobility.
"Artificial intelligence is essential in the automotive industry, and significant progress has been made in the last few years. The machine learns while we drive, and is trained in artificially generated critical driving situations to participate in road traffic in a cautious, comfortable, and accident-free manner. By linking all available data, including weather data, traffic flows, images, and data from cameras and other sensors in the car, with the ideal human driver's reactions, the machine understands how prudent drivers react and what is considered composed and safe. As a result, autonomous driving is becoming increasingly efficient and available everywhere.”
«As societal values change, consumers will increasingly demand autonomous driving technology. I can therefore imagine that in future, people may prefer to be driven by a robot rather than drive themselves.»
With the increasing awareness of climate change and the global push towards achieving net-zero emissions, shared mobility is becoming more prevelant and encouraged worldwide. This also goes hand in hand with the development of autonomous driving technology. The focus on sustainability is reflected in mobility prices, and consumers are becoming more conscious of their environmental impact.
"Autonomous trains," reveals Wilfried, "are already transporting 60 million passengers a year in Germany with a punctuality rate of 98%. However, when it comes to cars, the technology has to prove it can ensure road safety.
Our goal is to make autonomous driving, whether with robo-taxis or autonomous shuttles that complement public transport, affordable and accessible everywhere, including non-urban areas. As societal values change, consumers will increasingly demand autonomous driving technology. I can therefore imagine that in future, people may prefer to be driven by a robot rather than drive themselves."