INDUSTRY INSIGHT
MOTOR Ai
Secures $ 20M to Accelerate Global Deployment of Safe Autonomous Vehicles through Advanced Software
In an era where the development of autonomous vehicles is accelerating globally, Europe has distinguished itself by prioritizing not only performance but also explainability, safety, and comprehensive legal compliance. MOTOR Ai is directly addressing these stringent demands. The company today announced a $ 20 million seed funding round to facilitate the full deployment of its certified, neuroscience-driven technology, commencing on German public roads.
MOTOR Ai, the sole German company in its field, has developed a Level 4 autonomous driving intelligence. Unlike systems that merely react to data, MOTOR Ai ' s technology actively reasons through it. This is made possible by a cognitive architecture based on active inference, a neuroscience model that enables vehicles to make structured and transparent decisions. As a result, MOTOR Ai ' s autonomous technology is both clear and meets human and regulatory standards.
Co-Founder Roy Uhlmann. " That clearly distinguishes us from US providers and at the same time optimally complies with European regulatory requirements."
MOTOR Ai stands apart from other autonomous vehicle providers. Instead of relying on extensive data collection and opaque prediction models, MOTOR Ai prioritizes an explainable and certifiable approach to autonomy, meeting the highest global safety standards. Their comprehensive full-stack system adheres to the most rigorous European and will supervise these vehicles on board, with their removal planned for 2026. These deployments encompass both the full onboard autonomy stack and the legally mandated technical supervision.
These achievements are the culmination of years of intensive technical development and regulatory groundwork by the MOTOR Ai team. Since 2017, the company has developed its entire autonomy stack in-house from Berlin, maintaining close collaboration with certification authorities and federal certifiers.
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" In a regulated environment like Europe, trust and compliance are nonnegotiable," states Michael Janßen, General Partner, Segenia Capital. " MOTOR Ai has developed a solution that is not only technologically advanced but also fundamentally aligned with Europe ' s approach to infrastructure and public safety. This is how autonomy will expand in the future." This ' Made in Germany ' in-house development " reduces interdependencies while strengthening Europe ' s ability to operate in critical innovative technology."
The company ' s seed round was led by Segenia Capital and eCAPITAL, with additional investment from German High Net Worth Individuals( HNWIs). This new capital will be used to finalize the type approval process for public road use and to subsequently deploy autonomous vehicles.
" Our solution meets key requirements for transparency and traceability of autonomous driving decisions, as required by authorities, said MOTOR Ai ' s CEO and international safety and compliance mandates. These include UNECE approval standards, ISO 26262( ASIL-D), Regulation( EU) 2022 / 1426, the Autonomous Vehicles Approval and Operation Ordinance( AFGBV), GDPR, the EU AI Act, and forthcoming Cyber Resilience Act provisions.
MOTOR Ai: Autonomy as a Service Beginning this year, vehicles equipped with MOTOR Ai ' s Level 4 autonomous driving system will commence operations in several German districts. A safety driver
MOTOR Ai ' s vision is to create a certified, explainable driver system that can serve as infrastructure for safe, transparent autonomy, one that Europe can both build upon and trust. Type-Approval under European and German regulation is anticipated in 2026.
Uhlmann further elaborates on Germany and the EU ' s distinct approach compared to other markets: " We don ' t believe the future of autonomy in Europe should be a mystery. It should be measurable, inspectable, and designed to earn public trust. That ' s what we ' ve been building, and now we ' re ready to scale it."
WORDS IN ACTION 18 AUGUST 2025