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Without subsidies, but confidently building emissions-free future
As 2025 draws to a close, it is a great opportunity to look back on an eventful year with Lars Kool of Urban Mobility Systems in Oss. And especially to look ahead to what is yet to come. “We're going to bang in 2026,” sounds confident. “There are seven or eight scoops scheduled to be launched.”
As CTO of Deutz's NewTech division, Kool leads a team of more than 300 engineers. This results in a lot of decisiveness to develop ingenious ideas into ready-made solutions quickly and without restraint. For example, a greatly improved battery technology was developed under the leadership of UMS, and building a completely new powertrain set-up - to be admired for the first time in November at the Agritechnica 2025 trade fair in Hannover, Germany - took just three weeks... So the takeover earlier this year of the cleantech company by German engine giant Deutz is clearly bearing fruit. Not only on the development side is there much enthusiasm about the course taken, sales people within the multinational are also brightening up completely, according to Kool. ’I have had sales teams from Germany, France and America on the floor here this week and you can just taste the excitement about what is happening and what is to come. Those people had to make the same sales pitch over and over again for years and now they can show their customers that Deutz is at the forefront of the transition. The passion that this generates is unprecedented. Everyone is overflowing with energy to bring the developments from NewTech to fruition.“
“The world is changing and, as a result, some developments are gaining momentum while others are heavily challenged,” Kool continued. “We have been passed left and right in recent years by competitors who used subsidies to boost their business. We have never received one penny in subsidies and have always stuck to our course; we grow organically or we don't grow. That is now paying off. By never making concessions when it comes to quality, safety and certification, we have just entered the picture of a world player like Deutz. A powerhouse, which everyone wants to join.”
With the trees no longer growing to the sky, more and more conversion companies are finding that it makes no sense to gamble on very large numbers from one manufacturer. “That's not going to happen,” Kool knows. “You will have to do it together, because you won't make it alone. Neither will UMS. Still, I have established a legacy in recent years and all the renowned machine brands know our name. However, I don't want to have to prove myself every time and I don't. That is why I feel that the acquisition has come full circle. This has been the best choice I have ever made for this company, my employees and customers. I'm proud of that.”
Deutz masters the art of production like no other. That is what Germans are masters of, according to Kool. “From the same core values that we have - quality, safety and certification - Deutz is able to make complex technology scalable and thus within reach for everyone. That is the most difficult process within the entire chain. Developing an electric powertrain is not that difficult, but the step to mass production and thus really large numbers, that requires a mix of knowledge, capital, courage and discipline. Many companies think they can do it themselves, but they are slowly coming up against a cold shoulder.”
Kool therefore dares to make a prediction that in the next two years many competitors in the cleantech industry will get the lid on the nose. “A lot of them and that's a shame, because in terms of innovation, the Netherlands occupies a special place. Developing turns out to be different from producing and that is where it goes wrong. Such a bankruptcy of Big Ass Battery, which fortunately is now able to restart, reflects negatively on the entire industry. If I had remained independent, I would have had to see it through. Now a production facility is being set up in Ulm in 3.5 weeks and you can actually see the scale-up happening.”
On Deutz's side, UMS is ready to storm the world stage. More and more parties are joining, according to Kool, creating a movement. “What we build is unique. Connoisseurs see immediately if something comes from UMS. I take the fact that everyone tries to imitate us as a compliment. I am proud that we were the first with interchangeable packages and I could go on and on. The ART-e is also something unique. This Asphalt Recycling Train was first talked down to, but everyone knows this is the future. This is the pinnacle of circular construction. I don't follow, I make the future. We shape the future.”
Thanks to the vision from UMS, coupled with investment by Deutz, ideas are turned into action in no time. “Suddenly I have 300 top engineers and I get to wave the scepter over them. That's really cool,” said a proud CTO. “We're going to have a blast in 2026. There are at least seven or eight scoops on the horizon. Starting with a new generation set-up, which was shown to the general public for the first time during Agritechnica. A compact system with everything on it: steering pumps, water pumps, compressor, heating, air conditioning and possibly another PTO. As a techie, this makes me very happy. This is really next level.”
Of course, everything is built in accordance with the highest safety requirements of the international R100.3 regulations and UMS is the first to have ASIL-C certification on the Battery Management System (BMS). But it doesn't stop there. “There is still a lot of great stuff in the pipeline. Think of semi-solidstate batteries, bi-directional charging frames, remote heating capability and new safety systems, where the machine automatically stops as soon as someone is within turning range. With this, we once again underline our leading role in innovation and safety, which, thanks to Deutz, is becoming available to everyone.”
