PRESS RELEASE
Berylls’s study shows that it is feasible to provide robo-taxis in the Munich
agglomeration area for a mobility flat rate of 99 euros per month
> 18,000 robo-taxis convey the same number of persons
as 200,000 private passenger cars
> The concept is extremely customer friendly with very
short waiting times and low cost per kilometer
> Commuters can leave their cars at mobility hubs located
on the city’s boundary and then change to robo-taxis
> Collaboration with the Technical University of Munich
(TUM) generated robust base data for the study
Munich, April 7, 2017– Currently, Munich has about
700,000 registered private passenger cars. Together
with the people commuting to the city every day by car,
this has given Munich a rather questionable accolade.
According to the traffic data provider INRIX, Munich
tops the list as the most congested city in Germany,
with an average congestion rate of 25 % (based on
total traffic), and annual per-capita waiting time of 49
hours.
An urban fleet of self-driving electric
vehicles
Berylls Strategy Advisors, with the support of the
University of Munich (TUM), has developed a potential
urban mobility solution based on autonomous electric
vehicles. The aim of the study, which was conducted in
collaboration with the Institute of Automotive Technology
at the University of Munich, was to generate a
comprehensive, multidimensional simulation for the
scenario of replacing all private passenger cars in the city
center with a city fleet of self-driving electric vehicles.
Professor Markus Lienkamp of the Institute of
Automotive Technology of the University of Munich,
notes: “Our cities are under tremendous, ever growing
pressure to find solutions to current space and emission
problems. The vision we explored offers a realistic and
promising solution that embraces both current
technological and social trends.”
In order to obtain robust base data, the study drew on
simulations, e.g. of the structure of the charging
infrastructure, developed over many years. Berylls used
this base data to create three practical mobility scenarios.
While two of the scenarios focus on city traffic only, the
third also takes commuter traffic into account, showing
how some 200,000 private passenger cars can be
replaced by 18,000 autonomous robo-taxis. Robo-taxis
would be in use more than 50 percent of the time, and
are thus much more efficient than private cars with an
average utilization rate of less than five percent. In
addition, intelligent system controls reduce robo-taxis’
deadheads to less than 15 percent. In the future, it will
be possible to almost entirely eliminate cars hunting for
parking spaces in the city center, which, today, account
for around 30 percent of all traffic. What’s more, the
electric cars would not have to have a very long range,
150 kilometers would suffice.
According to Matthias Kempf, expert in innovative
mobility services at Berylls Strategy Advisors: “The
potential of this new form of mobility is obvious. Cities
are now called on not only to create the conditions
needed to sustainably implement this innovative concept,
but also reduce the volume of robo-taxi traffic even
further through pooling. There are few cities in the world
that are as well suited for efficiently pooling passengers
as Munich.”
Using robo-taxis costs about the same as
using public transport
Caption: Robo-taxi_Technical University of Munich: Selfdriving taxis would only need an electric driving range of
150 km in order to meet the requirements of Berylls’s
study. Prices are the same as those for public transport.
Picture: TUMCREATE Limited
Berylls’s experts examined both the practical relevance of
the vision, and the associated costs in great detail. In
order to determine the real prices for potential
customers, the calculation also included related costs,
such as vehicle / battery manufacturing, energy,
maintenance and servicing of the vehicles, fleet cleaning,
and administrative costs. If all of these factors are taken
into account, the mobility flat rate for Munich users
would be 99 euros per month. This means that robo-taxi
passengers would have to pay around 16 cents per
kilometer, about the same as for using public transport.
“This innovative mobility concept of an autonomous city
fleet addresses many major problems cities will be facing
in the future. At the same time, it offers everyone
involved an attractive and sustainable alternative,” says
Fares Agua, consultant at Berylls Strategy Advisors.
Caption Sedric_01: The two-part swing door of the Sedric
(Self-Driving Car) extends up into the roof, and the large
and wide opening allows passengers to enter and alight
from the interior designed for 2+2 persons with ease.
Picture: Volkswagen AG
The study shows that it will be possible to launch
completely driverless e-mobility faster than expected.
Although it is unlikely that automated traffic will be able
to solve all traffic congestion issues, at least, in a robotaxi, passengers can make good use of the time they
spend on congested roads.
Caption Sedric_02: Sedric (Self-Driving Car) is the VW
Group’s first vehicle designed for level 5 autonomy,
where no human driver is needed
Picture: Volkswagen AG
About Berylls Strategy Advisors
Berylls Strategy Advisors Berylls Strategy Advisors is a top
management consulting firm specialized in the
automotive industry. It was founded in May 2011 by
experienced automotive partners. Its strategy advisors
collaborate with Berylls's clients - automotive
manufacturers, automotive suppliers, engineering services
providers, outfitters, and investors, to find answers to the
automotive industry's key challenges in matters of
strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and performance
improvement. Longstanding experience, well-founded
knowledge, as well as innovative and workable solutions
distinguish Berylls's consulting teams. Through strategic,
project-based partnerships, Berylls can draw not only on
cutting-edge technology expertise, but also a superior
understanding of the automotive market and customer
networks.
berylls.com
[email protected]
Contact:
Christian Bangemann
Maximilianstrasse 34
80539 Munich / Germany
Phone: + 49 89 71041040-71
Mobile: + 49 151 11110261
[email protected]