ULTIMO Project General Assembly: technical advances, collaboration, and a shared vision
On 24th, 25th, and 26th June 2025, the MobileThinking team had the pleasure of participating in the General Assembly of the ULTIMO European project, hosted this year in Herford, Germany. Three inspiring days filled with workshops, technical presentations, strategic exchanges... and convivial moments to strengthen human connections among partners.
ULTIMO is a significant European project, bringing together 22 partners from various countries and sectors with a shared ambition: to deploy on a large scale autonomous mobility services on demand, integrated into a Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem. For MobileThinking, this is a stimulating challenge at the intersection of technological innovation, user-centred design, and sustainability.
Rich exchanges and tangible progress
During these three days, numerous workshops and coordination points allowed the various aspects of the project to advance. Between technical demonstrations, discussions on system integration, feedback from local pilots, and strategic decision-making, partners worked hand in hand to align objectives and accelerate the operational deployment of ULTIMO.
For our team, it was also an opportunity to present developments in the Pulse Dashboard, our centralised supervision platform, designed to enable operators to monitor and manage autonomous mobility services in real-time. During this General Assembly, we were able to collect valuable user feedback, identify new functional priorities, and reflect on optimisation avenues for upcoming iterations.
Experimenting with the future of mobility
Among the highlights of this assembly, we had the opportunity to test the new autonomous vehicle developed by ZF, one of the project's technology partners. A tangible and inspiring experience that allows us to better perceive the rapid evolution of these technologies and their potential to sustainably transform our public transport systems.
These trials reinforce the shared conviction within the consortium: autonomous vehicles are not a future gadget, but a key component of a more flexible, inclusive, and decarbonised mobility. By integrating them into on-demand services tailored to the needs of regions, we open up new opportunities, especially for peri-urban and rural areas that are often poorly served.
A human dynamic at the heart of the project
Beyond the technical and organisational aspects, these days also served to strengthen the ties between individuals. Working on a European project of this scale, with diverse professional cultures and complementary expertise, requires more than just online meetings: it necessitates creating a genuine spirit of collaboration and trust.
Informal moments—bowling, mini-golf, shared meals—greatly contributed to reinforcing this collective dynamic. For behind the lines of code, technical specifications, and roadmaps, ULTIMO is above all a human adventure, driven by committed individuals striving for smarter and more accessible mobility.
What we take away
These three days allowed us to:
- Strengthen coordination among partners on ongoing projects
- Test the ZF autonomous vehicle in real conditions
- Advance the interface and functionalities of the Pulse Dashboard
- Identify new development directions for the coming months
- And above all... share a common vision of mobility designed for users, regions, and the environment.
Thank you to the project partners
We would like to warmly thank all the partners of the ULTIMO project for their commitment, openness, and professionalism. A special thank you to Andreas Fehr and Lars Abeler for the seamless organisation and warm welcome throughout the event.
At MobileThinking, we leave motivated and aligned to continue actively contributing to this major transformation of the European mobility landscape.
