- Positive response and strong demand at the pepper booth
- Delivery of the etrofit Citaro C1 to Hanse Mondial
- Federal Minister for Digital and Transport shows interest in innovative solutions for electrifying the commercial vehicle sector
Denkendorf, 05/06/2022 – pepper saw an exceptionally positive outcome as the only supplier of retrofitting solutions for commercial vehicles at BUS2BUS 2022 in Berlin.
Numerous interested guests from Germany and abroad visited the pepper team at its booth, where they had the opportunity to see an electrified Mercedes-Benz Citaro C1. Over the past few years, pepper has worked continuously on making the bus ready for series production in the required quality – a feat unique in the retrofitting industry. In addition to meeting ISO 9001, certification to ISO 26262 for functional safety underscores the quality standard achieved. The further development of pepper’s own Vehicle Control Unit, various adjustments to driver profiles and vehicle handling, air conditioning and increased energy efficiency all contribute to the high standard of the product.
“BUS2BUS was a complete success for the pepper team. It was important and also truly inspiring to finally meet face-to-face and discuss industry trends on a personal level after such a long time. Retrofitting was an absolutely hot topic. The interest in our technology for electrifying commercial vehicles was so great partly because, in combination with new vehicle procurement, it performs a key function in achieving the required number of electrified vehicles for successful mobility transition,” says Alexander Lietz, Head of Sales D/A/CH at pepper motion GmbH.
Vehicle delivery to Hanse Mondial
Another highlight of the trade show was the official handover of the keys to Hanse Mondial GmbH. Due to the ambitions of Hanse Mondial with regard to actively shaping the necessary mobility turnaround as well as an increased demand for zero-emission vehicles, the Hamburg-based company decided to use a pepper bus for the long term. The full-service mobility agency with a focus on bus logistics had already used a pepper bus as a shuttle for congress participants at the ITS World Congress in Hamburg in the fall of 2021. The positive response and the quality of the pepper bus was reason enough to include the bus in its own mobility services.
Retrofitting has a key function in implementing CVD on the way to zero-emissions public transport
Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, also visited the pepper motion GmbH booth, where he learned about the company’s innovative concept from CEO Andreas Hager.
Andreas Hager describes the explosive nature of the topic for politicians and the economy as follows: “The compelling need to think and practice sustainability consistently due to advancing climate change is beyond doubt. Re-use instead of “dumping” well maintained vehicles has now become the watchword for public transport as well. The conventional approach of constantly bringing new vehicles to market is anything but climate-friendly and geared to the future. Retrofitting helps transit authorities and fleet operators to extend the life cycle of buses. The mere fact that the production of a bus chassis generates more CO2 than the batteries used in an electric bus necessitates a shift in thinking toward true sustainability. Only the combination of new vehicles and retrofitting makes it possible to be responsible with the environment and public money and to reach the zero emissions targets faster.”
Another round of funding from the German government is expected soon. The funding program for “alternative drives for buses in passenger transport” for the electrification of local public transport puts conversion on an equal footing with the purchase of new vehicles.
The BUS2BUS Exhibition
The third BUS2BUS took place on April 27-28 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. The industry gathering for the German and European bus and supply industry brought together some 2,000 trade visitors* from 25 countries with around 100 exhibitors from 16 countries. Participants* shared the latest trends in the bus industry with a focus on sustainability through technological innovation. (Source: Press release about BUS2BUS issued by the organizer Messe Berlin GmbH).
About pepper motion GmbH
pepper – electrifying transportation! The German, privately financed company with headquarters in Denkendorf and offices in Garching near Munich, Paderborn and Vienna employs almost 100 people.
As the first digital OEM worldwide (without its own warehousing and manufacturing), pepper offers innovative solutions for the electrification (retrofitting) of used and new commercial vehicles such as trucks in distribution transport, buses in local public transport (LPT), and municipal vehicles. pepper is ISO 9001 certified and as such is the only supplier of conversion solutions to ensure operational safety according to international automotive industry standards such as ISO 26262 for functional safety. A network of international partners guarantees service and availability across Europe.
With its holistic approach to telematics, charging infrastructure, fleet management and autonomous driving, the company designs quickly implementable and cost-efficient solution packages for sustainable mobility transformation and a “second life” for existing commercial vehicles. They effectively support the implementation of the CO2 reduction targets in accordance with the European Green Deal Agreement and the Clean Vehicles Directive, active as of summer 2021.
pepper was awarded the German Mobility Prize (2018) and the Austrian VCÖ Mobility Prize (2019), as well as being voted one of the top 50 start-ups in Europe in the field of mobility (2020, EUSP).
The subsidiary pepper motion Austria GmbH, based in Vienna, is the pepper Group’s software development center. pepper is represented with further sales locations in Italy, France, and Poland.
Press contact:
360°communications GmbH
E-Mail: peppermotion@360communications.de
Tel: +49 89 5436994 00
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