Uncertainty still remains about what will become of the proposed mobility center in Munich. The German transportation ministry (BMDV) only had the following to say to H2-international: “The BMDV has, as agreed in the coalition treaty, put the concept of the German Center for Future Mobility (DZM) from the previous legislative period through a comprehensive review and realignment process. A concept for the realignment of the center is currently being consulted upon. […] The activities of the ITZ [hydrogen technology and innovation center] will be pursued by the BMDV, independently of the German Center for Future Mobility (DZM).”
The one piece of new information, which came out in February 2023, was that the town of Gera in Thüringen would not be considered as a new location. Transport publication Verkehrsrundschau reported that the town is allegedly “no longer in the running as an external site and test area for the planned Munich center whose areas of research are expected to include digitally interlinked logistics.”
It had previously become clear that Munich was no longer likely to be considered as a location, but the idea of a nationwide mobility center itself was still being retained. The Munich-based Tageszeitung newspaper reported in April 2022: “The end of the German Center for Mobility (DZM) in Munich seems to be a done deal. Our newspaper understands from the chairman of the CDU/CSU in the German parliamentary budget committee, Florian Oßner, that the coalition government has dropped Munich as a location. ‘Today, colleagues have not only rejected our application for increased funding, but have also decided to withdraw Munich from the overall concept,’ says Oßner.”
The German transportation minister at the time, Andreas Scheuer (CSU), had initially promised support to the tune of EUR 400 million (see H2-international, August 2021), only for this to be subsequently taken away by the coalition. The message since then remains unchanged: The concept is being reworked in line with the coalition agreement.