1. Commercial mobility

2. Charging infrastructure

3. Urban Transformation

Commercial Mobility: Dr. Sara Schiffer

The person that impressed us most when we talk about the transformation in vehicles is Cologne based Dr. Sara Schiffer, CEO of Hylane. She calls her business a startup though it just received a nine-digit investment from Private Equity company Palladio in December, clearly indicating that Hylane has certainly left the early growth phase. Hylane specialises in sustainable, zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle rentals. Founded in 2021, the company provides battery-electric and hydrogen-powered trucks through a usage-based “pay-per-kilometre” model, enabling logistics and industrial customers to decarbonise their fleets without owning vehicles. Dr. Sara Schiffer, as CEO of Hylane, leads the company’s strategic direction and growth, driving the expansion of climate-friendly transport solutions while positioning Hylane as a key enabler of the transition to emission-free road freight in Europe. Well done Sara, you are doing an amazing job and quite rightfully are our MOTION winner in the commercial mobility category.

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Charging Infrastructure: Aurélien de Meaux

Our MOTION person of the year when it comes to charging infrastructure is Aurélien de Meaux from Paris based Electra.This is a French-based electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure company that has been rapidly expanding its ultra-fast charging network across Europe in 2025. Co-founder and CEO, Aurélien de Meaux originally launched in his home market France and now operates hundreds of stations with high-power charging

points in multiple European countries. The young business has secured significant financing, such as a €433 million green loan in mid-2025, to accelerate its roll-out and strengthen its market position. Under de Meaux’s direction, the company has focused on strategic partnerships, interoperability initiatives like joining broader charging alliances, and scaling deployment to make EV charging more accessible, reliable, and seamless for drivers throughout Europe.

Urban Transformation: Anne Hidalgo

Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, could have stopped in 2024, when the French capital hosted the Olympics. But no: she continued her long-term vision of transforming the French capital into “a city that can breathe” following the Games, exactly what she did in the 10 years leading to them. Building on momentum from the Games, she advanced policies to reduce car traffic, improve air quality, and reclaim public space for people, notably beginning the post-Olympics transformation of the Champs-Élysées into a greener, more pedestrian-friendly avenue. Central to this effort is an ambitious greening plan to plant more than 170,000 trees over two years, creating cooler, healthier urban spaces across the city. Together, these initiatives reinforce Hidalgo’s commitment to reshaping Paris into a more sustainable, resilient, and liveable metropolis. Congratulation on being our MOTION Urban Transformation winner 2025.

These three movers are the best example that in Europe we can find entrepreneurs and politicians who are actively driving the transformation toward sustainable and innovative mobility. It therefore makes little difference whether, these days, we may be frustrated by the rollback of the phase-out of the internal combustion engine, ultimately pushed by politicians and business leaders who want to preserve the status quo of mobility. Schiffer, de Meaux, and Hidalgo stand for change; with innovative concepts, they are pushing back against turning Europe into a museum of outdated technologies. And that gives us hope.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a great start to the coming year. 2026 will be exciting, stay in MOTION and be part of a movement for sustainable mobility.