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For the first time, the NUFAM Media Day took place on Thursday, June 22, at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Center. In addition to information about the commercial vehicle trade fair in September, there was a controversial discussion about the future of alternative drives. The talk is available as a video. What is the alternative drive type of the future and how can it best be integrated into the everyday lives of fleet managers and manufacturers?” – these questions were discussed by Christian Bodi, Managing Director of Logistics at the Karlsruhe drugstore company dm, Kurt Sigl, President of the Federal Association of eMobility, Dr. Olaf Toedter, Head of the “InnoFuels” research group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), and Thomas Weidinger, Head of Field Sales Fuel Cards at Wex.
(Karlsruhe) The discussion was part of the first NUFAM Media Day. The goal of the new format was to provide information about NUFAM – The Commercial Vehicle Trade Fair from September 21 to 24, but also to bring the discussion closer to the practical realities of exhibitors from the commercial vehicle industry. Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of the Karlsruhe Trade Fair, gave a brief introduction to NUFAM and the mobility location Karlsruhe. Jochen Bortfeld, Project Manager of NUFAM, initially looked ahead to the upcoming NUFAM. “With 420 to 450 exhibitors, NUFAM will be the largest in its history. In three months, we will meet here again,” he said to around 60 guests who had come to the sunny atrium of the Karlsruhe Trade Fair. After the introductory remarks, they followed a lively and controversial discussion on the question of the right alternative drive for the future. In about 75 minutes, the discussants engaged fairly, but contentiously and controversially in seeking solutions.
Testing under normal conditions
Christian Bodi, Managing Director of Logistics at dm-drogerie markt, initially addressed two pilot projects. The drugstore chain from Karlsruhe supplies branches in Bonn and Nuremberg with electric trucks or hydrogen trucks: “We are experimenting! We want to test the technology under normal conditions with our partners,” said Christian Bodi. It is about starting to gather experiences in order to then decide how to proceed. Still, the Managing Director of Logistics emphasized that the costs for hydrogen trucks are currently about two and a half times higher compared to diesel-powered trucks. Bodi stressed that in the future it will be important to explore the advantages and disadvantages of various alternative drives in practical tests. It is about working constructively in the “very complex” search for alternative drive types of the future. Companies need to clarify what is necessary both socially and economically in order to ultimately act accordingly.
Kurt Sigl, President of the Federal Association of eMobility, emphasized that he is open to technology. They do not want an ideology: “What currently works easiest is e-mobility.” The President of the Federal Association of eMobility further stated: “Those who wait for politics can wait forever.” Kurt Sigl pointed out that other players from China or the USA are already fighting for dominance in the new market. There is no longer a development time of eight to ten years: “It’s about speed. We are no longer alone,” Kurt Sigl made clear. What the alternative drive type of the future is, Kurt Sigl could not answer, but: “What we currently have is almost nothing.”
Dr. Olaf Toedter from KIT, on the other hand, is convinced that there will be a mix of different drive types in the future: “The decisions are so complex that any simplification does not work.” Companies must always look at which areas and with what ranges they are operating. For short distances, the answer could be e-mobility, while for longer distances synthetic fuels may be the solution.
Accompanying customers on the way to alternative fuels
Thomas Weidinger, Head of Field Sales Germany for WEX, also participated in the discussion. WEX offers fuel cards in collaboration with Esso and other providers and will be present as an exhibitor at NUFAM in September. “We respond to the needs of our customers who would like to accelerate the energy transition.” WEX is ready to support them on their paths to alternative fuels. “While classic diesel remains part of many fleets, companies are looking to card providers like WEX to help them with the transition.”
The discussion at the first NUFAM Media Day was recorded and is HERE available. Photos from the event and more information about the projects of dm drogerie-markt and “InnoFuels” can be found in the digital press kit for the Media Day HERE.
Photo: © Benedikt Spether/Messe Karlsruhe / Image caption: Jochen Bortfeld (left), Project Manager of NUFAM, and Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of the Karlsruhe Trade Fair, provided an outlook on the commercial vehicle trade fair in September during the Media Day.
