Only where ARADEX is on it, ARADEX is in it! This advertising slogan has long since ceased to be true, because the first fuel cell truck*, which was ceremoniously handed over to the Kirchheim unter Teck road maintenance department last Wednesday, also contains the drive train from ARADEX.
“This is not an off-the-shelf vehicle” explained Heinz Eininger, District Administrator of Esslingen, at the handover of the EFA-S E46 from the manufacturer EFA-S GmbH . In addition to the ARADEX components, the truck also contains a battery as well as hydrogen tanks and a fuel cell that converts the hydrogen into electrical energy. The implementation was carried out in cooperation with the Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, which also made use of ARADEX’s technical support in some cases. “Swabian tinkering spirit” – added Eininger, the driving force on the way to emission-free road maintenance. Transport Minister Winfried Hermann spoke of the dawn of a new era and praised the commitment of Reinhardt Ritter (EFA-S), a pioneer in this field.
The know-how and inventive spirit of medium-sized companies such as ARADEX and EFA-S not only set an example in the field of emission-free technologies, but also form the basis for the future prospects of the entire Swabian region. Further joint projects are planned – ARADEX and EFA-S are emblematic of the path that Baden-Württemberg must take in order to secure the future and thus jobs, and to demonstrate innovative perspectives. Dr. Stefan Hellfeld (Managing Director ARADEX) and Bastian Beutel (Managing Director EFA-S) are looking forward to shaping this future.
* The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) funded the purchase as part of the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Innovation Program with a total of 388,500 euros. As part of the state initiative III Market Growth Electromobility, the state of Baden-Württemberg is supporting the purchase with 200,000 euros.
