Prince Albert II Of Monaco Finds Out More About E-Mobility At The Gläserne Manufaktur

June 12, 2018 by Volkswagen

•Transformation of the automotive industry, digitalization and new mobility at Volkswagen were discussion topics

•Tour of e-Golf production in Dresden

•Startup prize for Cloud&Heat Technologies – sponsored by Volkswagen AG, Porsche Leipzig and City of Dresden

Prince Albert II of Monaco visited Volkswagen's Glaserne Manufaktur in Dresden on Friday. The head of state met with Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for e-mobility and spokesperson of the management team at Volkswagen Sachsen, CFO Kai Siedlatzek and plant manager Lars Dittert. The discussions focused on Volkswagen's route to e-mobility as well as the transformation of the automotive industry, digitalization and new mobility. Prince Albert II – who was accompanied by Dresden's Mayor Dirk Hilbert – is visiting Saxony's capital city to receive the 'Taurus' European Culture Prize on behalf of his foundation at a ceremony in the Frauenkirche. He is being recognized for his commitment to the preservation of the world's oceans.

In his welcome speech Thomas Ulbrich said: 'E-mobility is the door to the future in the automobile sector. We are currently moving ahead with our preparations for the Volkswagen brand's electric offensive which will get underway in Zwickau at the end of 2019 when we start building the I.D. family and then progress to Dresden. Our plants in Saxony will be trailblazers for this future technology. The Volkswagen brand will thus become the technology leader for e-mobility in the Group.'

Prince Albert II gained an impression of the pioneering role the Glaserne Manufaktur already plays in Volkswagen's electric offensive during his tour of e-Golf¹ production. A special highlight of the tour came when he teamed up with an employee from the Manufaktur on the 'marriage line' to bolt the power system and the body together. The head of state was also introduced to Wandelbots, the innovative Dresden-based startup that cooperates with the Glaserne Manufaktur on Industry 4.0 and human-robot collaboration. The Prince personally tested the innovative sensor jacket that will make programming industrial robots faster and more efficient in future.

On Friday evening, the head of state will be recognized with the European Culture Prize for his commitment to the preservation of the world's oceans at a ceremony in the Frauenkirche. A young company from Dresden called Cloud&Heat Technologies will also be honored for its innovative and ecological use of the heat generated by large servers. The company is being presented with the 'Next Generation' prize for young talent sponsored by Volkswagen AG, Porsche Leipzig and the City of Dresden.

The e-Golf has been built in the Glaserne Manufaktur Dresden since April 2017. The Manufaktur is evolving into a 'Center of Future Mobility'. Customers and visitors discover more about the future of mobility in an interactive encounter with e-mobility and digitalization, including a free test drive through Dresden in an electric vehicle. In addition, customers can now collect all electric models built by the Volkswagen brand from the Glaserne Manufaktur. Under the new startup incubator program, twelve young startups per year can develop their ideas for the mobility of the future through to market maturity with support from Volkswagen.