Future mobility

Autonomous driving fascinates people and will play a crucial role in shaping future mobility. Vehicles today already feature a wide range of autonomous capabilities. In autonomous driving, a distinction is made between levels zero to five: no driving automation, driver assistance, partial driving automation, conditional driving automation, high driving automation and full driving automation.⁷

At the highest level – full driving automation – comprehensive assistance systems replace the person behind the steering wheel. Ultimately, this will completely redefine the role of the vehicle in road traffic.

Autonomous concepts will also fundamentally change the time spent in the car: the vehicle will become a stress-free and pleasant zone, where the occupants can work or relax. Autonomous driving also plays a crucial role in road safety. Advanced driver-assistance systems can be used to reduce the number of road traffic collisions in the future.

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time and is causing a major transition in the mobility sector. Numerous countries are planning to only allow environmentally friendly new vehicles to be registered by 2035. Electromobility is already shaping the streetscape in many parts of the world today and will significantly counteract climate change.

To ensure this succeeds, battery, engine and vehicle manufacturers are constantly optimizing their products. ZEISS plays an important role in shaping the transition toward more e-mobility. ZEISS eMobility Solutions is helping to improve the quality, efficiency, reliability and safety in electromobility.

One of the ways ZEISS demonstrates its innovative strength is through its development and implementation of market-shaping mobility innovations. To ensure the quality of electric vehicles, increased precision requirements need to be met. ZEISS eMobility Solutions provides exceptional and comprehensive measuring and testing solutions for all e-mobility components, from batteries and power electronics to electric motors and transmissions.

The high-tech products used in digitalization require ever smaller and more powerful microchips. Optical systems from ZEISS make it possible for the global chip industry to manufacture these microchips. In the world’s leading lithography systems from our strategic partner ASML, illumination systems and projection optics from the ZEISS SMT segment enable the transfer of nanometer-sized structures onto the silicon wafer – a unique key technology for the further miniaturization and performance optimization of microchips. Without microchips there would be no technological transition – the mobility revolution included. The fact is: more than 80 percent of all microchips manufactured around the globe today are produced with ZEISS optics – and this statistic is on the rise. ZEISS SMT’s EUV lithography was awarded the Deutscher Zukunftspreis by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in 2020. From 2025, ZEISS SMT will enable the semiconductor sector to create the next generation of microchips through the further development of High-NA-EUV lithography.

ZEISS is using micro-optical technology to change the user experience in various mobility sectors. This enables safety and comfort functions in a wide range of vehicles as well as in aviation and space travel. Multifunctional smart glass and its innovative possibilities in detection, projection, illumination and filtration increase safety for vehicle users and all other road users.

The aim of CO2-free, clean energy production poses new challenges for scientists and researchers developing materials and technologies. Batteries and fuel cells are changing the face of transportation and are expected, in combination with clean and renewable energy sources, to revolutionize energy production, storage, distribution and consumption. In order to fully exploit this potential, science and research is required in many areas. The inner microstructure and the way it changes throughout the course of its use determine battery performance. Light, electron and X-ray microscopy provide insights into the batteries’ inner workings and enable advanced battery research. This enables a better understanding of the manufacturing process and the complex details of the components.