Latest news with #RoyUhlmann
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
MOTOR Ai secures $20m for autonomous driving technology
MOTOR Ai, a German company specialising in cognitive AI systems for autonomous driving, has secured $20m in a seed financing round for the deployment of the company's neuroscience-driven technology on public roads in Germany. eCAPITAL and Segenia Capital spearheaded the funding round which also saw contributions from German high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). The fresh capital injection is said to be utilised for the final steps towards type approval for public roads and the following deployment of the company's autonomous vehicles. MOTOR Ai has developed a Level 4 autonomous driving intelligence that employs reasoning via data, rather than mere reaction. At the core of its system is a cognitive architecture based on 'active inference', a neuroscience model that enables vehicles to make transparent decisions. In 2025, MOTOR Ai plans to initiate operations of vehicles equipped with its Level 4 autonomous system in various districts of the country. Although these vehicles will initially be supervised by a safety driver, the aim is to remove the driver by 2026. The deployments will encompass both the full onboard autonomy stack as well as the technical supervision mandated by law. The company's vision is to create a 'certified, explainable driver system' that acts as a foundation for 'safe and transparent autonomy.' MOTOR Ai anticipates type-approval after European and German regulations by 2026. The company was founded by CEO Roy Uhlmann and CTO Adam Bahlke in 2017 in Berlin. Roy Uhlmann said: 'Our solution meets key requirements for transparency and traceability of autonomous driving decisions, as required by authorities. 'That clearly distinguishes us from US providers and at the same time optimally complies with European regulatory requirements.' "MOTOR Ai secures $20m for autonomous driving technology" was originally created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Inside The Race To Put Fully Autonomous Vehicles On EU Roads
MOTOR Ai hopes to put fully autonomous vehicles on the streets of Berlin Which company will be the first to put truly autonomous vehicles on Europe's roads? Despite stiff competition from US pioneers including Tesla and Waymo, the German start-up MOTOR Ai thinks it could win the race. The company hopes to win approval for its self-driving vehicles to begin using public roads in 2026 – starting in Germany but then moving into other countries in the European Union. Critically, MOTOR Ai, which is today announcing a $20 million fundraising, is taking a very different approach to the big names in self-driving vehicles. For one thing, it is targeting the public transport market, rather than consumers; it is also retrofitting its technology to existing vehicles, rather than developing a new car; and the artificial intelligence technology it relies on is unconventional too. It's this final point that gives MOTOR Ai an advantage in Europe, argues Roy Uhlmann, who co-founded the Berlin-based company in 2017 and is now its CEO. Rather than relying on an algorithm based on extensive training from huge datasets, the company's software uses 'active inference', making predictions about how the environment encountered by vehicles will behave; that makes it much easier to present to regulators. 'This technology is very explainable – you can show how every single decision is made, unlike with other types of AI, where decisions are made inside a black box,' Uhlmann says. 'That's vital in the EU because the regulation here requires explainability for approval to be granted for a fully autonomous system.' MOTOR Ai fits its software to one specific type of vehicle – a Mercedes minivan – which will help with scaling and capacity. The idea is to sell its services to local authorities across Germany – and eventually beyond – to help them provide on-demand public transport services in both urban and rural settings. 'Until we improve the public transport network, we won't get drivers out of their own cars,' says Uhlmann of the sustainability arguments for his business model. MOTOR Ai has already begun trials of the technology in Berlin, but with a safety driver. It is now seeking approval for 'Level 4' autonomous vehicle operation, which would enable it to take drivers out of the vehicles altogether and to begin offering its services to the public; negotiations to provide public transport are already underway with several German local authorities. Assuming it gets that approval in early 2026 as expected, MOTOR Ai would be the first company to put fully autonomous cars into full operation on public roads in the EU. Other competitors in this race include the likes of Karsan, which operates buses, and ZF Mobility Solutions, both of which are also in testing. Leading German manufacturers such as BMW and Mercedes itself are also pursuing greater autonomy, with competition from the US also a factor. The latter is likely to become fiercer if the EU makes concessions to the Trump Administration on regulation in the sector as part of trade negotiations, as has been predicted. MOTOR Ai is convinced it can win the race, but the bigger opportunity is to drive change on Europe's roads, says Uhlmann. 'The German Government and the EU are determined to scale autonomous electric vehicles because they see this as key to solving several societal challenges,' he says. Mass adoption of this technology could improve public mobility while supporting climate change mitigation, he points out. Today's $20 million seed round is led by Segenia Capital and eCAPITAL, with participation from a number of business angels prominent in the mobility sector. 'In a regulated environment like Europe, trust and compliance are non-negotiable,' says Michael Janßen, general partner at Segenia Capital 'MOTOR Ai has built a solution that is not only technologically differentiated, but fundamentally aligned with how Europe thinks about infrastructure and public safety.' Lucas Merle, principal at eCAPITAL, points to the value of having a German business leading the way, rather than a North American competitor: 'The 'Made in Germany' in-house development reduces inter-dependencies while strengthening Europe's ability to operate in critical innovative technology.'
