Modular mobility: one vehicle for all transport tasks
The IMoGer (Innovative Modular Mobility Made in Germany) project aims to develop a new mobility service for the automated transport of people and goods. This service is intended to ease the strain on local public transport during peak hours and provide innovative solutions for parcel and goods transportation outside of these times, all while operating autonomously without a human driver. The service is based on the modular U-Shift vehicle concept (see Figure 1). It is currently in operation in the 'Schwarzer Berg' district of Braunschweig. It is being further developed there so that the German Aerospace Center (DLR) can commercialise the product. By the end of the project, the system is expected to be adopted for combined use with public passenger and freight transport.
Modular Vehicle
The U-Shift as a minibus (front), as a goods transporter (rear) together with the single passenger capsule (centre)
The U-Shift vehicle concept, developed by DLR, is modular and automated. It consists of a driving platform and interchangeable passenger and freight modules. As part of the IMoGer project, a small fleet of nine U-Shift units is being set up, comprising three universal drive platforms and six specialised capsules. This fleet will be used for the first time to provide a driverless, barrier-free mobility service in the "Schwarzer Berg" district of Braunschweig, initially on a trial basis and then officially authorised.
A control centre has been set up to oversee the small fleet and perform technical monitoring. The vehicles and automation functions, developed in Germany, will be authorised for use in the public transport network. Control of the transport infrastructure, including junctions, will be integrated into the system intelligently.
The U-Shift vehicles are connected to the dispatching and operations control systems of the local public transport company, Braunschweiger Verkehrs-GmbH, and the logistics service provider, United Parcel Service (UPS). This enables the small fleet to support flexible mobility services for passenger and freight transport equally, while utilising synergies between the two modes of transport.
The small fleet of six capsules covers typical transport volumes and also has an operational reserve. This enables the important questions surrounding the system's interoperability, scalability and transferability to be fully clarified (see Figure 2).
IMoGer overall system
IMoGer uses modular autonomous vehicles for passenger and goods transport, as well as for distributing mobile parcel stations. Technical supervision and support from the infrastructure ensure the process is safe.
The DLR Institute for AI Safety and Security is preparing the project's security argumentation. This is important to ensure that the vehicles and associated IT systems cannot be manipulated digitally. To this end, the Institute collects legal and regulatory requirements, analyses the IMoGer system accordingly, and informs the development teams of any necessary changes. Once development is complete, the Institute will ensure that all legal and regulatory IT security requirements for the overall system have been met.
The project involves the following industrial partners: Motor Ai GmbH, DiMOS Operations GmbH and VITRONIC Dr.-Ing. Stein Bildverarbeitungssysteme GmbH. Braunschweiger Verkehrs-GmbH (BSVG) and UPS Deutschland S.à.r.l. & Co. OHG (UPS) in the practical implementation and introduction of the solutions developed in real traffic. The City of Braunschweig and the Greater Braunschweig Regional Association are also involved as associate partners.
The project runs from December 2024 to December 2027 with a total budget of €39.2 million. Of this, 35.5 million euros will be funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport.
