On September 1st, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) intends to launch the fourth stage of the digital approval tool i-Kfz. Then large customers such as manufacturers, importers, dealers or online marketers should also be able to use the portal to register customer vehicles, re-register them or put them out of service.

i-Kfz complex and expensive

Cologne. In the spring of next year, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) wants to ignite the fourth stage of the digital approval tool i-Kfz. Then large customers such as manufacturers, importers, dealers or online marketers should also be able to use the portal to register customer vehicles, re-register them or put them out of service. So far, this online service has been reserved for private customers. Florian Cichon, CEO of Cologne-based PremiumZulasser eG., is rather skeptical about the willingness of the trade to work with i-cars, despite all the political advance praise.

The reason: Access to i-Kfz requires the establishment of a major customer interface. Or to put it another way: every dealer must link his IT world with the x-Kfz interface of the Federal Motor Transport Authority. It is the gateway to i-Kfz. But that’s easier said than done, because the connection is time-consuming and expensive.

According to Cichon, the x-kfz interface comprises around 1,100 lines in contrast to a conventional interface with around 30 to 40 lines. The programming and subsequent tests required several months of intensive work, which is due to each individual dealer. “Only large car dealership chains, if at all, will be able to afford the necessary investments and the time required to connect to x-Kfz,” predicted the head of PremiumZulasser to the industry publication “kfz-betrieb.de”. In addition, the work steps in i-Kfz are time-consuming and complex.

“There are 423 registration offices in Germany – that means 423 different opinions and 423 different requirements. Some of the authorities are extremely critical of i-Kfz,” added PZeG board member Heinz Sobieralsk in an interview with “Automobilwoche”.

Against this background, Florian Cichon is convinced of the future viability of his cooperative’s registration software, despite the competition from the state: “Our established tool premium-zulasser.online with its easy handling and i-kfz will complement each other perfectly.”

The PremiumZulasser software already has an interface to x-Kfz, whose suitability for everyday use is currently being tested as part of a pilot project with the Cologne Road Traffic Office. The test is to go into regular operation with the fourth stage of i-kfz in the spring of next year. The approval process will then run fully automatically. Manual data transfers will become superfluous. Manual data transfers will become superfluous. “Actually, the customer can drive off again straight away, especially since they only have to have their number plates sealed after ten days,” says Cichon. The vehicle owner will receive a replacement document for the transitional period.