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MOTOR Ai

Category: Robotics / Embodied AI

Explainable and certifiable self-driving software platform for safe autonomous vehicles, based on cognitive neuroscience. MOTOR Ai was founded in 2017. The company is led by Roy Uhlmann. Based in Berlin, Germany. Team size: 32. Total funding raised: $20 million (€17.1 million). Latest round: Seed, $20.0M, 2025-07, led by Segenia Capital and eCAPITAL. Key investors include Segenia Capital, eCAPITAL.

Founded
2017
Headquarters
Berlin, Germany
Team size
32
Total funding
$20 million (€17.1 million)

Value proposition

Delivers transparent ('explainable') decision-making for self-driving systems, enabling regulatory compliance and trust through human-understandable reasoning behind vehicle actions. The system is designed to be certifiable under international safety standards without needing to be trained on infinite scenarios.

Products and solutions

MOTOR Ai Core Platform (Level 4 autonomous driving software), Safety validation tools

Unique value

MOTOR Ai's core innovation is its focus on 'explainability' and certifiability. Their software not only drives autonomously but also provides clear, deductive explanations for every action taken by the vehicle’s AI system, a feature designed to meet stringent European safety and legal standards.

Target customer

Automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, mobility service providers, and public transportation operators.

Industries served

Automotive manufacturing, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), Public transportation, Commercial fleet operators

Technology advantage

Proprietary algorithms that generate human-readable justifications alongside standard perception/planning outputs. This approach, based on cognitive neuroscience, bridges the gap between 'black-box' deep learning models and industry safety standards like ISO 26262 and ISO/PAS 21448.

How they differentiate

Unlike most competitors who treat explainability as an add-on, MOTOR Ai builds it into their core architecture. Their system is based on cognitive neuroscience, allowing for deductive, transparent, and certifiable decision-making, which is more attractive to regulators and OEMs prioritizing transparency and safety.

Main competitors

Wayve, Motional, Bosch, Applied Intuition

Key partnerships

Pilot collaborations with European automotive OEMs (names undisclosed), Member of German Association of the Automotive Industry initiatives on AV safety standards., Working closely with certification authorities and federal certifiers like TÜV.

Notable customers

Collaborations with European automotive OEMs (names undisclosed), Partnerships with public transportation authorities in Germany.

Major milestones

Operating Level 4 autonomous vehicles on German roads., Secured a $20 million (€17.1 million) seed funding round in July 2025., Expected to receive type approval under European and German regulations in 2026.

Growth metrics

The company is operating Level 4 autonomous vehicles on German roads with a safety driver, and plans to remove the safety driver in 2026. They are also expected to receive type approval under European and German regulations in the same year.

Market positioning

Niche player focused specifically on 'explainable autonomy' for Level 4 and 5 self-driving solutions, rather than generic full-stack self-driving systems.

Geographic focus

Primarily Europe, with a specific focus on Germany.

Patents and IP

No published patents found; the company relies on proprietary methods based on cognitive neuroscience and active inference models.

About Roy Uhlmann

Roy Uhlmann has a strong leadership background in AI-driven technology companies, with deep expertise in autonomous driving, programmatic advertising, and AI strategy development within startups and influential industry organizations in Germany. He has been the CEO of MOTOR Ai since April 2017. Prior to that, he was the CEO at Beautiful Group, COO at Dr. Holthausen GmbH, and COO at Qimaya. He also served as a Member of the Executive Board at Bundesverband Deutscher Startups and an Expert Council member for Artificial Intelligence at Deutscher Bundestag.

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