VDA Mobility Innovation Summit 2025 – From Talk to Traction

The VDA Mobility Innovation Summit 2025 made one thing clear: Germany has the frameworks and vision to lead – but we now need trust, execution and real cross-sector alignment.

Intro: Back from the VDA Summit – not just with notes, but with urgency. Mobility in Germany is moving from vision to delivery. The VDA Mobility Innovation Summit 2025 was more than a policy and tech gathering – it was a signal: stop admiring the problem, start building the solution. As founder of HAHN Network, I joined to observe and contribute from a digital strategy perspective. The key themes were urgent, practical and system-relevant.

Juan I. Hahn (HAHN Network), Dr. Judith Puttkammer (Mobility Data Space), Hauke Timmermann (eco Verband), Dr. Julian Weber (VDA) at the VDA Mobility Innovation Summit 2025 in Berlin, together with panel participants from industry and policy.

Context:

Hosted by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the Summit brought together leaders from automotive, energy, digital and public sectors. Discussions focused on how to make Germany’s mobility sector future-ready – not just through innovation talk, but through ecosystem-scale implementation.

The tone:

collaborative, urgent, and increasingly implementation-focused. My presence as founder of HAHN Network was complemented by my role within the eco Mobility Competence Group, which continues to bridge digital transformation, regulation and partner logic in mobility ecosystems. Key Signals from the Summit:

• AI & Data Ecosystems – The talk must turn into infrastructureThe need for usable standards, reduced barriers and trustworthy public-private data infrastructure was emphasized. Calls for investment rather than pilot fatigue.→ We need less proof-of-concept, more platforms of consequence.
  

• Electromobility – Scaling beyond the vehicleThe hardware is scaling, but grid integration, charging interoperability and battery ecosystems are lagging behind. Sector coupling remains a vision, not practice.→ Execution needs to catch up with regulation and ambition.
  

• Aftermarket & Services – Digital capabilities will define leadershipThose who can access, structure and monetize data in smart service models will lead. Others will fall behind.→ This isn’t just digital transformation – it's digital survival.
  

• Autonomous Driving – Germany has the legal green light. Now what?Pilot projects must move from labs to cities, from tech demos to public value.→ We need real pilots that are usable, ethical and scalable.

What this means – and what comes next: Germany has the talent, infrastructure and funding logic to lead. But leadership now means ecosystem alignment, delivery capability and speed.

At HAHN Network, we support this with a simple structure: Discovery – Validation – Scale. We help partners move from idea to reality by aligning stakeholders, strategy and execution logic.

Mini-Playbook: What to do next if you’re leading in mobility strategy:

• Identify one data ecosystem you can co-invest in this year

• Reassess your grid/EV dependencies – include public partners

• Run a readiness check: Are your pilots designed for real-world use?

Final Thought:

„Let’s stop admiring the problem – and start building the solution.“ That’s the core takeaway. It’s also our mission.

Want to shape your innovation roadmap in the automotive industry? Let’s talk.