Technology centre on the Alb - Autonomous driving

Thomas Bareiß (CDU) visits the PARAVAN and Schaeffler Paravan technology site in Pfronstetten-Aichelau. Further site expansion planned in Hohentengen.

The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, Thomas Bareiß, CDU, informed himself about future technologies in the automotive industry and also made a stopover at the Pfronstetten-Aichelau Mobility Park for this purpose. In addition to the forward-looking development services of the joint venture Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co. KG, as well as the planned expansions at the Aichelau site and the expansion plans at the Hohentengen site.

"Electromobility and autonomous driving, these are two topics that are driving us forward. The innovative power that I was able to experience here, in the middle of the Neckar-Alb region, really impresses me," said Thomas Bareiß, who had already visited two major automotive suppliers active in the field of electromobility that morning. "We have a great opportunity here to further extend the lead and thus remain the technology leader in these areas." In this context, the Parliamentary State Secretary took a look at the Aichelau site as well as the current plans at the Hohentengen site and was impressed.

"The future is being co-developed here," said Roland Arnold, Managing Director and founder of PARA-VAN GmbH and Schaeffler Paravan GmbH & Co. KG. "Space Drive is a key technology for bringing autonomous driving safely to the road." The entrepreneur has already been working on multi-redundant electronic driving and steering systems for 20 years and has developed a driving and steering system from the field of mobility for the disabled that is now considered a key technology for autonomous driving in Level 5: Space Drive. Since 2018, the system has been further developed at Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co. KG and brought into series production.

In addition to an expansion at the Aichelau site, where Schaeffler Paravan Technologie's "Mobility Innovation Center" is to be built on the outskirts of the town by the summer - a new development centre with expanded testing and inspection facilities on site - a site expansion is also planned in Hohentengen. Already today, Schaeffler Paravan Technologie GmbH & Co. KG regularly tests its technology carriers at the airfield in Mengen before they go into real-life testing, whether on the road or on the race track. This year, Space Drive is also anchored in the DTM regulations. At least two Schaeffler Paravan technology carriers, a Mercedes AMG GT3 and a BMW M6 GT3 - equipped with Space Drive and without a mechanical connection between the steering unit and the steering gear - will be on the grid.

The adjacent barracks site in Hohentengen in the neighbouring district of Sigmaringen offers the optimal conditions for a future-proof industrial settlement for this purpose. "The infrastructure to achieve a research and technology centre for autonomous driving is excellent," says Roland Arnold, who has already rented buildings on the site. A "campus of the future" is to be created on the 85-hectare site, he describes his vision: a "Silicon Airfield". The plan is to build a test field for autonomous driving on the completed site together with the site's owner. There, the vehicles equipped with Space Drive can be tested not only alone, but in combination with each other. A campus is to be created for suppliers and OEMs, who can then work and develop on the "Autonomous Driving" project in an interdisciplinary manner - especially with a view to developments that are to be sought in the field of artificial intelligence. A small city could be created here, in which the future of the automobile is tinkered with together," says Arnold.