- eco: Federal funding of up to EUR 14 million is insufficient – funding must also cover control centres, supervision and digital operations
- eco Chair Oliver Süme: Autonomous driving is a digital issue – whether it can be scaled up in Germany depends on networks, data and software
- eco calls for binding funding commitments enshrined in the federal budget and interoperable pilot regions instead of a patchwork of regulations across federal states
Berlin/Cologne, 20 October 2026 – Autonomous driving in pilot regions is on the agenda of the Transport Ministers’ Conference (VMK), which will meet in Hohenschwangau on Wednesday, 21 October 2026. Back in March, the VMK had already asked the German federal government to develop funding models that also cover operations and control centres, and to quantify the expected funding requirements in time for the autumn conference. The German federal government’s current call for funding applications provides up to EUR 14 million for the procurement and retrofitting of autonomous vehicles. From eco’s perspective, this is not enough: pilot regions cannot operate without funding for infrastructure, control centres, supervision and digital operations. eco expects the German federal government to present the funding requirements now and, together with the federal states, use these as the basis for a binding funding commitment that is also enshrined in the federal budget.
“Autonomous driving is not just about vehicles; it is also a digital issue,” says Oliver Süme, Chair of the Board of the eco Association. “Whether it can be scaled up in Germany will depend on control centres, software, networks and data. In its coalition agreement, the German federal government committed to co-funding pilot regions. This commitment must now be translated into reliable funding that also covers digital operations.”
Unresolved funding and responsibilities risk slowing the roll-out of autonomous mobility in Germany, while robotaxi services are already operating commercially in the US and China. Remote monitoring and control centres require high-performance, reliable networks, edge and cloud capacity, as well as secure data interfaces. As eco recently emphasised ahead of the cabinet retreat, Germany needs faster approval procedures and more reliable conditions for investment in digital infrastructure to strengthen its position as a digital hub. This also applies to the operation of autonomous mobility.
“Operators and investors need planning certainty,” Süme continues. “Anyone who focuses solely on vehicles and regulatory approval when discussing autonomous driving overlooks where competition between business locations will be decided: in fleet operations. This requires uniform nationwide framework conditions rather than a patchwork of different regulations across the federal states.”
For eco, the success of the Transport Ministers’ Conference will be measured by whether it delivers concrete results. These must include a binding funding commitment that goes beyond vehicles to cover infrastructure and digital operations. Interoperable pilot regions are also needed, with uniform minimum requirements for vehicles, technical equipment, operations, and IT and data structures, as the VMK itself called for in March. Digital operations must be recognised as a distinct, economically crucial area of activity alongside vehicle technology and regulatory approval.
