Sustainable mobility options in Ilmenau are continuing to expand: An electric vehicle is now available for shared use on the campus of Technische Universität Ilmenau. With the new station at Helmholtzring 3, in front of Building N, the city's car-sharing network now comprises three locations.
Just under a year after the launch of teilAuto in Ilmenau, a project that the university has supported from the very beginning is now being implemented. Students and staff, in particular, are now benefiting from an additional mobility option right on campus. At the same time, the vehicle is also available to the city’s residents.
“Car-sharing was established in Ilmenau a year ago, and experience shows that the service has been very well received. The fact that there is now another location right on campus is a plus for our Technical University and its students,” emphasized Ilmenau’s Mayor Dr. Daniel Schultheiß on the occasion of the opening ceremony.
The positive trend over the past few months shows that there is a demand: The number of registered car-sharing users has more than doubled since the summer of 2025, rising from 52 to 117. The vehicles are used by both private individuals and commercial users, as well as by people who do not live in Ilmenau, thanks to the rail connection.
With the opening of the new station at Helmholtzring 3 in front of Building N on the TU Ilmenau campus, the car-sharing service in Ilmenau now consists of three stations. A compact and a small car can also be rented at the main train station and at Mühlgraben.
Environmentally friendly and hassle-free travel even on business trips
The station on campus also represents an important step toward the university’s sustainability goals. “We are particularly pleased that an electric vehicle is now available and that our students and staff have the opportunity to get around in an environmentally friendly and hassle-free way right on campus, without having to own a vehicle themselves,” said Prof. Stefan Sinzinger, Vice President for Research and Early-Career Scholars at TU Ilmenau, at the opening ceremony.
This is an important step on our strategic path toward becoming a sustainable community. We hope it will be used extensively.
Even before the car-sharing service was introduced in Ilmenau, the university had expressed a desire to eventually station an electric vehicle on campus. Now, a VW ID.3 is available on Helmholtzring. Employees can use the vehicle for business trips, for example, while students and other users have access to it around the clock.
“The teilAuto service in Ilmenau was in high demand right from the start, so the groundwork for expansion could be laid in a timely manner,” says Antje Böttcher of the association Verkehrswende in Kleinen Städten e. V., which acts as an interface between teilAuto and small teilAuto towns. At the opening of the new station, all participants emphasized their constructive collaboration. Special thanks in this context also go to Studierendenwerk Thüringen and the municipal utilities, which provided the parking space and the charging infrastructure. The new service perfectly meets the needs of Ilmenau residents and university members: While employees can use the electric car primarily during the day – including for shorter business trips – the car is available around the clock, and especially on weekends, to students and Ilmenau residents as well.
Prof. Jens Wolling, head of the Sustainability Task Group at TU Ilmenau, is also already looking ahead:
In the long term, it would be great if the car-sharing service in Ilmenau continued to grow and if electric mobility played an even greater role in the process.
How it works
The shared vehicles can be booked for periods ranging from one hour to several weeks. Reservations can be made 24/7 via the mobile app, website, or by phone. Vehicles are unlocked using the smartphone app. Before using the service for the first time, users must complete a one-time registration at teilauto.net.
Once registered, users can access not only the vehicles available in their home town but also all other teilAuto stations. Through a nationwide car-sharing network, vehicles can also be booked throughout Germany.
Why it pays off
Studies show that one car-sharing vehicle replaces an average of eight to ten privately owned cars, helping to reduce traffic and free up public space. According to the German Carsharing Association (Bundesverband CarSharing), organized car sharing is particularly worthwhile for people who drive less than 14,000 kilometers per year and do not rely on a car for their daily commute.
In rural areas, car sharing can be an attractive alternative to owning a second car and can help many households reduce transportation costs.
Contact
Prof. Stefan Sinzinger
Vice-President for Research and Young Scientists