New release push: Thyssenkrupp’s MULTI elevator targets high-rise bottlenecks

Thyssenkrupp’s rope-less MULTI elevator system is moving from concept to commercial reality, targeting high-rise traffic jams with horizontal movement and multiple cabins in a single shaft. What matters for building owners now are capacity gains, energy savings and integration into future towers.

Edited by ad hoc news New Releases & Launches Desk. Reviewed before publication on 06/15/2026 at 8:30 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Thyssenkrupp’s MULTI elevator system is one of the more radical new releases in urban mobility for high-rise buildings, replacing steel ropes with linear motors so several cabins can run in a loop within the same shaft and even move sideways at transfer points. According to the company, the system is designed to boost passenger capacity by up to 50 percent while cutting peak power demand for tall towers. Thyssenkrupp Elevator’s official MULTI product page describes it as the world’s first cable-less elevator for both vertical and horizontal travel.

How MULTI works and where Thyssenkrupp wants to deploy it

Unlike conventional elevators that rely on counterweights and ropes, MULTI uses linear motor technology similar to magnetic-levitation train systems, allowing multiple independent cabins to circulate in a continuous loop through a building’s shafts. Thyssenkrupp positions this approach as a way to reduce the total number of shafts needed in a high-rise by as much as 25 percent, freeing up floor area that can instead be leased or used for other functions in premium real estate. In its technical descriptions, the group highlights that cabins are smaller, run at lower speeds than super high-speed lifts, but achieve higher overall throughput by reducing waiting times and optimizing dispatch with multiple cars in the same shaft. A Bloomberg feature on MULTI’s first public demonstration points to the system’s potential to reshape skyscraper design because architects no longer need to stack banks of conventional shafts in the same way.

The first real-world installation of MULTI is planned at the East Side Tower in Berlin, where Thyssenkrupp will equip the office high-rise with several cabins running in loop configuration through dedicated shafts. For developers and building operators, the commercial appeal lies in increasing rentable space and smoothing traffic at peak times, particularly in mixed-use towers where office, hotel and retail flows intersect. Thyssenkrupp also emphasizes energy efficiency: by distributing loads more evenly over time and reducing maximum power demand, the system is intended to lower the required electrical infrastructure, which can be a cost factor in very tall buildings. Beyond Berlin, the group has been marketing MULTI to global developers in dense markets such as Asia and the Middle East, pitching it as an option for supertall projects that face strict constraints on core space and power capacity. Industry analysts note that if MULTI delivers on its performance claims in early reference projects, it could become a niche standard for the upper segment of the high-rise market.

From a portfolio perspective, MULTI sits at the innovation end of Thyssenkrupp’s elevator and escalator business, a unit that has been carved out and partially sold but remains closely associated with the brand in many markets. The system acts as a showcase for the company’s engineering capabilities and for linear motor technology that could find use in other vertical-transport applications over time. For investors, it is worth noting that while MULTI is technologically prominent, it is likely to contribute only a modest share of volumes compared to conventional elevators, at least in the early years of rollout. Shares of thyssenkrupp AG (DE0007500001) last traded on Xetra at EUR 4.46 on 06/13/2026, according to recent market data from Deutsche Börse. Deutsche Börse’s listing overview for thyssenkrupp shows the stock still firmly anchored in the German mid-cap segment.

Thyssenkrupp MULTI elevator in brief

• Product: MULTI rope-less elevator system
• Manufacturer: thyssenkrupp AG
• Category: New Release / Launch (high-rise elevator)
• Launch date: First public unveiling 2017, pilot deployment planned for East Side Tower Berlin
• MSRP / Price: Project-specific pricing for high-rise developments (not publicly disclosed)
• Availability: Offered to selected high-rise projects globally via project tenders and direct developer agreements
• Target audience: High-rise developers, architects, building owners and operators in dense urban markets
• Key differentiator / USP: Rope-less, linear-motor elevator with multiple cabins in a loop and the ability to move both vertically and horizontally within a building’s core

This article was a.i.-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without warranty; prices and availability may change at short notice. Not investment advice and not a buy or sell recommendation. Trading involves risk up to and including the total loss of invested capital.