Munich, July 3rd, 2023: Fernride announces Dr. Volker Hartmann as its new general counsel. In June 2023, the pioneering German autonomous electric trucking company announced a round of series A financing, and plans to use this to expand its international cooperation with its existing and new clients, as well as for the continued development of human-machine collaboration technology.
Dr. Hartmann brings extensive experience from several management positions in the automotive and mobility industries and is known for his exceptional legal consultation expertise in autonomous and connected driving. He is a strong addition to Fernride’s experienced leadership team of industry experts.
“As a lawyer, it’s fascinating to work with people from so many different backgrounds and dive into the world of engineering. I look forward to seeing how these things work as I develop creative, well-structured solutions as a ‘legal enabler.’ Fernride’s vision offers enormous potential, and gives me the unique opportunity to successfully contribute to automating logistics chains – on our way to making Fernride the number one in autonomous trucking, not just in Germany and Europe, but worldwide.”
Dr. Hartmann brings more than 15 years of experience as an in-house legal counsel in the automotive and mobility industries, and has worked at Audi, Daimler, and VW Group. His areas of expertise encompass product compliance and product liability, data protection, and legal M&A. Previous positions saw him work on numerous autonomous and connected driving projects, as well as the adaptation of new regulations and laws for these technologies in the EU and USA. He has developed and established several agile legal teams on the international level. Also, he acquired M&A legal expertise. As general counsel, he consulted the Autonomous Intelligent Driving GmbH, the former autonomous driving VW corporate startup, during its takeover by Argo AI Inc. At CARIAD SE, Dr. Hartmann was co-project leader of the VW/Bosch R&D cooperation on assisted and automated driving.
Volker Hartmann studied German and European law in Würzburg (Germany), doing his doctoral thesis in product liability law in the automotive industry. He regularly publishes articles in legal journals, most notably regarding the legal issues of robotics and AI. He is also a guest lecturer at the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) on the topic of smart mobility as it pertains to legal matters of autonomous driving and intelligent mobility.
Fernride is pursuing the goal of becoming a market leader in the field of autonomous electric trucking. The company delivers solutions to the logistics industry’s biggest challenges: the extreme shortage of truck drivers, growing CO2 emissions, and tight profit margins. These issues have a major impact on society, and are forecasted to continue. In Europe for instance, the current lack of 400,000 truck drivers is estimated to increase to two million by 2026.
Fernride’s customers require a scalable, reliable solution that delivers results for their business now. This is where Fernride’s ‘human-assisted autonomy’ comes in. It is currently being used by leading companies including Volkswagen, DB Schenker, and HHLA.
About Dr. Volker Hartmann
Volker Hartmann has over 15 years of experience as an in-house legal counsel specializing in technology and product law in the automotive and mobility industries. He has advised autonomous and connected driving R&D projects, M&A projects, and built up legal teams at Audi, Daimler, the VW Group, as well as at several tech start-ups. As our general counsel, his duties will encompass among other matters legal & regulatory affairs, data protection, compliance and governmental affairs, as well as the establishment and expansion of our office of the general counsel.
About Fernride
FERNRIDE offers scalable automation solutions for yard trucking that increase productivity, promote sustainability, and improve worker safety. The company employs a human-assisted automation approach, which allows for remote takeovers of electric trucks when necessary. This ensures seamless integration and reliable operations for logistics operators. With over a decade of research and high-profile customers, including Volkswagen, HHLA, DB Schenker, and FERNRIDE uses cutting-edge technology to address major industry challenges, such as driver shortages and the negative environmental impact of logistics operations. The company was founded by Hendrik Kramer, Maximilian Fisser, and Jean-Michael Georg, and currently has over 100 employees working in offices located in Munich and Wolfsburg. www.fernride.com
Maria Tarasova, Head of Marketing
E-Mail: maria.tarasova@fernride.com
Mob.: +4915162792696
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