Interview with Lutz Leif Linden, president of the AvD (Automobile Club of Germany)
A passion called mobility
18 Aug 2025
Lutz Leif Linden just celebrated the 125th anniversary of his long-standing automobile club, but he is already looking firmly to the future. How will mobility, this important asset, develop? Linden’s perspective is uniquely comprehensive, ranging from everyday roadside assistance services to international motorsports, as well as his views on technology and sustainability.
Your father, Hans Jürgen, ran the club from 1958 to 1982. What are you doing differently? What makes the AvD (Automobile Club of Germany) stand out today?
Roadside and accident assistance continue to be key services that we offer our members. Drivers continue to value safety, yes, but their expectations of us have become more complex and multifaceted: choosing your own repair shop, hotel room, and rental car is easy nowadays in Germany and Europe. However, some of our members also travel further afield – especially since our membership is linked to the person, not the car. So what do we do if a car breaks down in Israel? Or in Iran? These are interesting cases that we resolve right here in Frankfurt.
What new challenges does e-mobility present?
Firstly, employees must be certified to work on battery-powered vehicles. They must know where the switch is that disconnects the vehicle from the power supply. Is there any invisible damage? Where can the damaged car be parked? Workshops need 50 square meters of space for each damaged electric vehicle. Safety distance. Fire protection. All these issues come up, and you never hear them talked about by any politicians.
But, as they say in Germany, “We can do it!”
It's extra work, but we have enough trained personnel. More than 620 companies throughout Germany provide these services for us, operating over 2,200 tow trucks and cranes. They are certified and know what they’re doing. Six years ago, we installed the first supercharger in front of our building in Frankfurt, and we are now investing another 1.5 million into a new charging park.
What happens to batteries after there’s been an accident?
If a vehicle has caught fire, its batteries must be transported in a water container. There are high environmental risks, especially for groundwater. But even after transport, the question remains: Where should the contaminated water go? Where should the electronic waste go? There are solutions, yes, but they are all very expensive.
Who owns the drive data collected by cars equipped with digital technology?
It is clear that car owners have a right to their data. This is personal data. Do you drive past the supermarket every other evening and spend 20 minutes shopping? All of this information can be found in your movement profile. Many cars have a separate mobile phone installed that transmits data via a SIM card. Major manufacturers know exactly where their customers are at any given point and how fast they are driving. Many manufacturers want to keep their software ‘in-house’ to retain customer loyalty.
What are you doing about it?
The AvD and the FIA are talking to vehicle manufacturers in Brussels, making it clear to them that owners have a right to their data, and that independent garages must also have access to it. In addition, we have launched the ‘My Car My Data’ project. Currently, some manufacturers re-encrypt access every three months or reassign the pin codes in the connectors, meaning the workshop can no longer read anything with its equipment. We, on the other hand, want drivers to be able to say once the warranty has expired: Well, I have my own trusted car repair shop and I want them to do it, they have all the certifications, and I want them to be able to read the error memory and classify the data.
What new challenges will autonomous driving bring?
Many people don’t consider the expense of autonomous driving, which is the reason why things have quietened down in Germany.
Just how far have we really come?
Convoy driving on the motorway, with vehicles spaced five metres apart, also known as platooning, works extremely well. However, we are not yet at level 5. It will take some time to get there. Not even Tesla has gotten that far yet. Cameras and technical systems can also be more easily installed on trucks, enabling them to drive from one logistics centre to another. This raises the question: when it comes to trains, why do we still need people to operate them?
Many autonomous driving projects are targeting public transport. For example, MOIA and VW are collaborating with public transport companies to run a pool riding test fleet in Hamburg.
I’m with you there! Yes, public transport! The same will happen on medium-haul flights. Already now, flight attendants are no longer there primarily to serve you drinks but to assist in case of an emergency evacuation.
Not so keen on autonomous models for private passenger transport then?
GPS systems, at least in their current form, are far too inaccurate for precise car localisation. The military tolerates a margin of error of 10 metres and this margin of error is manually compensated for when they drop a missile. But it is not possible to do this when you’re driving an autonomous car on a snow-covered road with no road markings or crash barriers. You’ll end up in a ditch.
During MOIA’s Hamburg trials, it was observed that the autonomous vehicles strictly adhered to traffic regulations and carefully merged into roundabouts. Meanwhile, human drivers react with equal parts impatience and irritation.
In America, one of them once couldn’t get out of a roundabout. Or take the passenger in the airport robot taxi who had problems with their credit card and was trapped inside. Such vehicles can also cause traffic jams, of course. Autonomous cars often cause accidents when merging onto the motorway in America because they do not use the acceleration lane properly. When another vehicle approaches from behind, they brake instead of accelerating and merging. For the moment, humans can still drive more smoothly.
In what ways is the AvD shaping the future of mobility? Let’s consider the term ‘openness to technology’ (DE: Technologieoffenheit), which is often thrown around in Germany. Are you for or against it?
For it! Reducing our climate impact at the necessary rate will never be possible –on account of the size of the existing fleet alone– if we rely solely on electric vehicles. At the current production rate for electric cars, replacing the existing fleet would take 15 years. Even if we wanted to replace them all immediately and only sold electric cars from now on, this would not be possible because there are not enough materials for production. In 2024, new car sales in Germany stood at 2.8 million, with electric cars accounting for 14 per cent of the total. So it is essential we focus on the cars that are actually on the roads.
Your suggestions?
We need e-fuels or other types of fuel containing a high proportion of biofuel. From a technological standpoint, it would already be possible to add 50 per cent biofuel today. And we shouldn’t dismiss hydrogen either, as it could be useful for transporting heavy goods. We cannot predict how things will develop. Who could have predicted all the things mobile phones can do today? This is why we should embrace technology and be more open-minded. I think this fixation on electricity is risky. We do not yet have enough green electricity. It makes zero sense to saw off a car's exhaust pipe only to hook it up to a coal-fired power plant.
Nevertheless, the pressure is mounting. After every emissions assessment, it is said once again that the mobility sector is lagging behind in achieving climate targets. How come?
People are not always won over easily by the idea of change. When it comes to electric mobility, I wouldn’t say it’s at the very beginning, but it is still in its infancy. It simply cannot compete with combustion engine vehicles yet. Long-distance journeys continue to be problematic. The infrastructure is not yet where it should be.
Why is that?
Approval processes for one. Here in Frankfurt, we had to wait 12 months to hear back from the network services whether our new charging park was feasible. We still don’t have a building permit either, and we have to wait for that before we tackle financing. This creates uncertainty, particularly among people who want to make a difference.
“What’s missing today is a car like the VW Beetle, which took us everywhere for a small amount of money. All over Europe! We could get out, meet new people, and stop wherever we liked.”
We are currently seeing many developments in electromobility and digitalisation that are moving towards more individualised public transport. Individuality is also a core value of traditional mobility, and, in a way, what your association stands for. Does this create a conflict of objectives?
Conflicts of objective can be resolved through networking, which is precisely what brings about individual solutions. Needless to say, we support this! Currently, every transport company has its own platform, which makes it impossible to plan a whole journey. Thankfully, more and more modes of transport are now being integrated into the Deutsche Bahn website. Other than that, public transport is doing a great job motivating people to switch back to individual transport. Connections are particularly poor at weekends. For example, when people play in teams and have to travel from game to game, it is virtually impossible to do this without a car. In Frankfurt, the coalition agreement of the city government includes plans to build more park-and-ride facilities. However, not a single one has been built in the last three years. At the same time, public transport fares were increased in January, and the timetable was cut by 30 per cent in February. So, they’re not making it easy for people to switch.
What does the mobility behaviour of Gen Z look like?
It’s clear that young people can’t afford electric cars. They try car sharing and realise how expensive it is. What’s missing today is a car like the VW Beetle, which took us everywhere for a small amount of money. All over Europe! We could get out, meet new people, and stop wherever we liked. Young people today are being deprived of this experience. We've seen where it leads when people’s individual mobility is taken away.
Where to?
Well, it was ill-advised of the GDR to lock its people up. They might have made it as far as Hungary, got a taste for it, and then... well, you know the rest. That's something politicians don't really consider. They have their Bahncard 100 and if they want to go somewhere else, they just hop on a plane. They don’t have any mobility problems.
The AvD has a long tradition and rich history in motorsport. We can see this in your involvement in the FIA, as well as your personal commitment as President of the FIA GT Commission and the FIA Manufacturers' Committee. Does motorsport still pull the same weight as an innovation lab for the automotive industry?
Without a doubt! We have been racing fully electric cars in Formula E for ten years. Today, Formula 1 is more sustainable than ever because it uses hybrid technology and e-fuels. We use a blend of 50 percent biofuel and hydrogen.
Last year, I competed in the FIA GT World Cup in Macau, near Hong Kong, driving a car powered by 100 percent biofuel. GT cars can now do this without any modifications. Just look at history: crash zones, aerodynamics, turbochargers, disc brakes, and belted tyres – all these innovations originated from motorsport. In racing, you get immediate feedback on whether something works or not. Everything has to be on point by the next race! Development is much faster than in large-scale production.
Which racing formats are proving to be the most interesting at the moment?
GT racing is currently booming worldwide, has more racing cars than ever before, and so it is currently the most successful category of racing in the world. Amateurs can also compete in customer racing series and obtain vehicles, parts and engineering services from manufacturers. For the manufacturers, this has become a real business opportunity, but it is also, of course, a form of brand advertising. The old American saying applies here: “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”
Are any innovations emerging for long-distance driving?
We are researching microplastics in tyres, which are effective in wet conditions but have a lower abrasion rate. Back in 2006, Audi won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a diesel racing car – and the technology developed for that car is now found in every standard diesel car. This is also why you can drive so far on so little fuel today. In motorsport, fuel is not wasted senselessly; the premise is always maximum efficiency: how can we get the most performance out of a litre of fuel or a battery charge? This is what we all need: efficiency.
Why hasn’t there been a Grand Prix in Hockenheim since 2014?
Formula One has become a plaything in the hands of individual countries that invest, thereby distorting competition. Today, we are competing against Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Baku. If the president pays an extra 10 million, we will host the Grand Prix in Azerbaijan in 2025.
When I started out as a promoter with Bernie Ecclestone in the 1980s, Formula One was practically controlled by one person. He had been involved in the business since the 1960s and knew how to pull every single lever. Who do I push for what? Which team needs my backing? How do I keep the manufacturers happy? Today, things are completely different because of the shareholders. They want to put on a big show and maximise financial output. Of course, Bernie Ecclestone also wanted to make money, but the teams were –each in their own way– more involved in this process.
Why is it that Formula E is struggling to gain recognition?
While Formula 1 is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, Formula E has only been around for eleven years. It has the highest-paid drivers after Formula 1, all of whom are highly qualified experts. But where can you even see the television broadcasts in Germany? All of the logistics are different. When they race in cities such as Berlin, London, Paris, Mexico City, Diriyah, Hyderabad, Jakarta, Cape Town, and Shanghai, the race looks great in the narrow canyons formed by the skyscrapers, but there are no grandstands and only around 3,000 seats. And the event only lasts one day. A permanent Formula One race track can accommodate 100,000 spectators per day, and 300,000 over the course of a three-day event. That’s a completely different scale, and it’s broadcast to one billion viewers.
