From 6 to 8 March 2018, the international public transport sector took place for the sixth It Trans International Conference and Exhibition on intelligent urban transport systems, at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre.
Spread over 15,000 square metres of exhibition space, some 250 exhibitors from more than 30 countries will present their latest products and services from segments such as integrated fare management.
IT TRANS is a B2B Networking Platform. There is no other event where leading expertise in intelligent public transport solutions can be found in such a concentrated environment.
The highlights for 2018's IT TRANS
Technology Region Karlsruhe to present IT and mobility expertise
The Volocopter is an electric, autonomous air taxi for two people is set to change the mobility of the future and can be seen at IT TRANS in Karlsruhe between 6 and 8 March 2018. The Volocopter flew for the first time in urban surroundings in Dubai last September.
World’s first autonomous air taxi
One of the TRK companies exhibiting its wares is Volocopter GmbH from Bruchsal. At its stand, it will be presenting its namesake product an autonomous air taxi that undertook one of its first test flights in Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center’s dm-arena in 2013.
In September, the Volocopter flew completely unaided for the first time in the centre of a megacity. It is a vertical take off and landing plane with 18 motors powered entirely by electricity. As Alexander Zosel, co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Volocopter, explains: “In just three years from now, people will be using Volocopters to fly from A to B in cities, escaping the traffic jams.
The multiple redundant powertrain and intelligent autonomous flight control provide the extremely high reliability that is synonymous with German engineering.” The company, which was founded in 2011, was already presented with the TRK Innovation Award in late November for its pioneering air taxi.
New: Demonstration track of autonomous driving in public transport
For the first time, a self-driving bus will be available to pick up It Trans attendees from the hall entrance and take them for a short test drive on the exhibition grounds. The electric vehicle is provided by AMoTech GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of Trapeze Switzerland GmbH, and is currently also in trial operation on the grounds of its plant in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland.
“Our bus has the capacity to transport 11 people and can drive at speeds of up to 25 km per hour”, says Dominique Müller, Managing Director of AMoTech. The “Trapizio” does not have a steering wheel and can drive and brake independently, although it does still need to have a person on board monitoring its operation.
If the bus encounters unexpected hindrances or pedestrians in its path, it stops automatically. “Thanks to its advanced technology, the bus has a faster reaction time than a human being. And its numerous sensors let our bus navigate even narrow passages”, adds Müller.
Launch of on-demand ridesharing service by the moovel Group and KVV
Karlsruhe Transport Network (KVV) is joining forces with the Stuttgart-based moovel Group to introduce an on demand shuttle service in March.
The new mobility service is to be tested in a pilot phase during It Trans. On these three days, trade fair visitors and local people can use the new mobility service free of charge.