More than 100 guests, two electric trucks to touch and a lively discussion about the future of freight transport: the latest edition of the MCube Speaker Series at the Deutsches Museum Verkehrszentrum in Munich impressively demonstrated the extent to which the logistics industry is currently changing. Under the title „The Future of Logistics: Electric & Autonomous“, representatives from industry, practice, research and the public sector came together to discuss new technologies, challenges and concrete solutions.
The initial situation is clear: transportation volumes are rising continuously, while climate targets, energy infrastructure and a growing shortage of drivers are putting pressure on companies and politicians alike. At the same time, technological developments are opening up new possibilities. Electric drives, intelligent charging systems and autonomous driving could make freight transport more efficient, cleaner and safer in the future. But how can the step from pilot projects to a scalable reality be achieved?
To kick off the evening, Maximilian Zähringer, CEO of FRYTE, and Maximilian Ritz, Senior Service Designer at UnternehmerTUM, highlighted the challenges of the electrification of heavy goods transportation. An electric truck requires around five times as much energy as a car and can be charged with up to 1,000 kilowatts in the future - an output that could power around 200,000 LEDs at the same time. This clearly shows how crucial a well-developed charging infrastructure is for the success of electric trucks. The ability to plan is particularly important. If a truck is unable to charge, the entire transport plan is quickly disrupted. This is why various partners in the „eTruck Charging“ project are working on solutions that will allow charging points to be reserved in future in order to create more planning security in long-distance transport.
Dr. Anna Julia Sprung from MAN Truck & Bus showed that autonomous driving can only develop its full potential if it is integrated into existing logistics systems. Autonomous vehicles are part of a complex ecosystem of infrastructure, digital platforms and operational processes. In the long term, autonomous trucks could help to compensate for the increasing shortage of drivers and make logistics processes more efficient. However, this requires close cooperation between industry, logistics companies and politicians.
A particularly practical insight came from electric trucker Tobias Wagner, who already regularly drives an electric truck in long-distance transport. His experience shows that long-distance electric transport is already possible in Europe today - from Portugal to Turkey, even in extreme temperatures. It is also interesting to note that the legally prescribed driving and rest times fit in well with the charging times of the vehicles. At the same time, the network of truck charging parks is constantly growing.
To make everyday life easier for drivers, Tobias Wagner has developed the eTrucker app, which bundles important information about charging points and route planning. This year, he is also planning an unusual project: the first round-the-world trip with an electric truck with just 80 charging stops.
Katrin Herda from the TST Group provided insights into the perspective of a logistics company that already operates around 30 electric trucks in its fleet. For freight forwarders, it is no longer just about individual vehicles, but about setting up an entire charging and energy ecosystem. One approach is a joint depot partner charging network in which logistics companies share and jointly develop their charging infrastructure. This makes it possible to make better use of investments and create a scalable infrastructure for electric trucks.
To conclude, Ernst-Benedikt Riehle from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce for Munich and Upper Bavaria looked at the strategic prospects for the region. Greater Munich is one of the most important logistics locations in Europe, while the volume of freight traffic is expected to grow by around 31 percent by 2040. In view of the lack of drivers and limited infrastructure, autonomous freight transport could play an important role in the long term. The first applications already exist in terminals and logistics hubs. The next step is to gradually bring autonomous systems onto the roads.
In the concluding discussion, it became clear that many of the technological solutions already exist. The biggest challenge now is to scale them up together. More cooperation between industry, logistics companies, politics and research is crucial in order to build infrastructure, develop standards and overcome regulatory hurdles.
The mood at the Deutsches Museum also showed that the industry is ready to go down this path. Electric and autonomous logistics is no longer a vision - it is already a reality.
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What is MOSAIQ?
Imagine something: There is more space for people. The streets have more trees and plants. Everyone can get around better. That's how your Schwabing-West district could be in the future. How would you like your district to be? We want to talk to you about it!
The project is called MOSAIQ. MOSAIQ is a research∙project. MOSAIQ means: Mobility and urban climate in the future city∙part. The Technical University of Munich is leading the project.
What is MOSAIQ about?
MOSAIQ wants to make the streets in the city∙part more beautiful. People should feel comfortable there. There should be more space. For meetings and plants, for example. You can help decide what is tried out in the Stadt∙teil. The ideas come from you. Some ideas will be tried out on the streets for a certain period of time.
The aim of MOSAIQ is to make urban districts good places to live.
At the same time, the climate in the city should improve. And people should be able to move around the city easily.
What is happening in the district?
