Deutz helps pave road to sustainable world

Innovation across the entire breadth of the drive spectrum

When it comes to green energy, it's fair to say that nothing in the energy transition is set in stone yet. Whereas on average people mainly think about which energy source will "win out over the rest," the German DEUTZ sets its sights on several possibilities for greening. 

Dr. Matthias Szupories, SVP Sales & Service EMEA Region at DEUTZ AG, and Bert van Hasselt, Managing Director of DEUTZ Benelux, demonstrate that DEUTZ is much more than a manufacturer of engines for industry and agriculture. "DEUTZ would like to play a pioneering role in the energy transition, where the innovations are mainly about developing future-proof affordable drive systems in order to lower the threshold for our customers who want to work sustainably," Matthias Szupories opens the conversation.

Working with low emissions

Szupories: "As a company, DEUTZ wants to actively help so that diesel engines are no longer seen as purely harmful to the climate. We do this in various ways, for example by promoting our Stage V engines. We are not saying goodbye to diesel, but we do want to ensure that clean diesel engines are used. A modern diesel engine with an e-fuel fuel is even 100% climate neutral. Therein lies the first gain, since we cannot yet efficiently electrify large machines and convert to hydrogen technology all the time. That being said, we are properly focusing on the development of electric engines, hydrogen combustion engines and hybrid systems that run on a combination of electricity and hydrogen."

Van Hasselt adds: "Sometimes it seems like the focus everywhere is on electrification, but in the world of big machines there is a lot of thinking about hydrogen. That's why DEUTZ technology works openly when it comes to sustainable forms of propulsion, we want to stay on the ball everywhere."

A legitimate question Szupories asks is: Is it sustainable to completely replace a machine with an older diesel engine with high emissions with a new machine with a modern diesel engine? "We think not, since a lot of kinetic energy went into manufacturing such a machine. Therefore, it is interesting precisely to exchange the old diesel engine for a clean, economical and quiet Stage V version. Then there is an improvement, without capital destruction."

At DEUTZ, there is a strong focus on intensifying service, opening new branches and doing repairs and modifications ourselves. Van Hasselt: "We want to be closer to the customer everywhere and help them with the most efficient solutions. By doing so, we lower the threshold for working more sustainably. We have the expertise and can guarantee that the service we provide is done right."

Developing storage systems

Thanks to the enormous expertise at DEUTZ and its relentless drive for innovation, many major manufacturers are switching to DEUTZ. "We help with electrification within the range of 20 kW to 100 kW and with hydrogen drives or hybrid solutions with the combination electric/hydrogen," Szupories explains. "What we are unique in is that we also think about where the energy should come from. We get space from both the government and companies to experiment and work on being self-sufficient when it comes to energy distribution."    

To clarify, "Our 'PowerTree' containers are equipped with batteries that are charged by wind and solar energy. With this we have a 'provider concept' in our hands. DEUTZ brings the energy where the customer wants it. In the city center, on the construction site, in a residential area. The customer says where the outlet should be and we provide it. The customer rents mobile power from us. That also lowers the threshold and brings electric work within everyone's reach. We are also developing similar distribution possibilities in the field of hydrogen, however, storage and transport of hydrogen is a much more complex matter."

Van Hasselt: "In the Netherlands there is still no OEM that takes on energy systems itself. Here we are still dealing with sub-optimization, where energy distribution is only thought about afterwards. With us, that goes hand in hand." To this, Szupories adds, "A 100% electrification overnight may be climate-technically desirable, but it is not feasible. Therefore, any powertrain technology must bring significant emissions reductions on the way to the 2030 and 2050 climate goals. With our hybrid engines, for example, we are already achieving reductions in NOx and CO2 emissions of as much as 70%."

Providing energy systems

DEUTZ prefers to talk about providing energy systems rather than engines. "If we want to be sustainable, we have to look at the picture as a whole," Szupories states. "Without a good energy supply, you have no use for a sustainable engine. If we didn't fill that gap, then going green would become way too expensive. However, we can't do it alone. We need the help of governments, OEMs and, above all, end users. Together, we can manage it. We already do a lot ourselves, such as overhauls, and we invest in companies that help achieve our goal. Again, we are not only interested in selling new engines, but also in modifying existing engines. If DEUTZ makes such a modification, the customer goes home with an engine as good as new, with ditto warranty. In this way we are working sustainably: an environmentally friendly engine, less energy consumption, less waste and less consumption of raw materials than with new construction are the key words here."

Van Hasselt: "Electric motors are nice for newly built machines with a small or medium power demand. In addition, you can already achieve a lot with the exchange of an older diesel engine for a Stage V variant. Our hybrid electric/hydrogen engines are suitable to start the transition. Think of it as a bridging phase. In any case, DEUTZ is on the way to pleural end solutions with the path it has embarked on and wants to offer answers in the breadth of its operations to everything that is still to come."

Pragmatic approach

In conclusion, Szupories says, "As the situation is now - and will remain - we cannot afford to simply bet on one horse. We will have to be pragmatic and look at the machine, its deployment, the power demand and apply the most appropriate and ideal drive system based on that. This is why DEUTZ looks at drive systems integrally and specializes in the industrialization of such systems. The core values here are: safety, continuity and deployability. We always go a step further in our developments, for example by having them certified according to the latest standards. At DEUTZ, the energy transition is not about short-term success, but about sustainable development of the company."