Stuttgart. What could sustainable mobility of the future look like? In the final round of the Porsche ideas competition “Mobility for a better world” eight start-ups presented their answers to this question: In the Berlin Accelerator APX they faced a jury of experts and the public. First place went to the Hamburg start-up Breeze Technologies, which has developed a solution for monitoring and improving air quality with the help of artificial intelligence. Phantasma Labs from Berlin, Ducktrain from Aachen and Liight from Madrid also received awards. A total of more than 150 projects from all over the world had applied for the award.

Original source: https://www.porsche.com/germany/aboutporsche/e-performance/magazine/e-performance-breeze/

Sustainability as an integral part of the Porsche strategy “As a globally active company, we have firmly anchored sustainability in our corporate strategy. We have set ourselves ambitious goals in this area and are working intensively on the question of how we can shape the future of mobility and thus also life on our planet,” says Daniela Rathe, Head of Political and External Relations at Porsche. “As part of our ideas competition, start-ups, engineers and students were invited to present their ideas and visions at the interface of technology, mobility and sustainability. In addition to prize money totaling 20,000 euros, the winners will receive coaching and the opportunity to work together with the Accelerator APX and the technology forge Porsche Digital.

Environmental sensors and analysis software for better air quality in cities Breeze Technologies was founded in 2017 by Robert Heinecke and Sascha Kuntze. The start-up from Hamburg convinced the jury and audience with its innovative environmental sensor technology and analysis software. The team focuses on small, cost-effective air quality sensors that measure pollutants such as carbon and nitrogen oxides. Their cloud platform collects and visualizes data in real-time and generates hyperlocal air quality maps. Using artificial intelligence, Breeze identifies local emission sources and recommends efficient and situational measures for clean air.

“I was surprised at the range of ideas we saw today. The quality of the pitches was very high and overall the concepts were also very convincing,” says Robert Martin, Manager Venturing at Porsche Digital. “I am happy for all who won and I am very excited about what will happen to the projects. I very much hope that we will come across one or the other idea again in the future and that it can contribute to making the world a little bit better”.

Data sets from virtual worlds improve autonomous driving functionsThe second place went to Phantasma Labs from Berlin. The team uses virtual worlds to produce data sets that depict human behavior in borderline situations. Ramakrishna Nanjundaiah and Maria Meier want to use them to improve autonomous driving. Third place went to Ducktrain. The team led by Dr. Kai Kreisköther from Aachen has developed a fully electric, automated logistics system that could make conventional delivery vehicles in cities superfluous. Fourth place went to RoadEO from Spain, consisting of Carlos Rosety Alonso and Santiago Jimenez Cortes, with their Gamify app “Liight”, which promotes sustainable behavior in everyday life. Users who use public transportation, bicycles or recycle items will be rewarded with rewards known as “Liights”.

Also qualified for the finals were Néng from New Zealand, Third Space Auto with its solution ByDrone from Finland, and Charger Next Door and IUPETIR from Berlin. The concepts and ideas of all finalists of “Mobility for a better world” are presented in a detailed portrait on the Porsche Technology Blog. Besides Daniela Rathe and Robert Martin, EDISON editor-in-chief Franz W. Rother and Patrick Bungard are members of the expert panel.