EKPO visit – Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder and Baden-Württemberg’s Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector Thekla Walker gain insights into sustainable hydrogen mobility
Hydrogen-based mobility – “Which role can hydrogen (H2) play in the future world of mobility, what progress has been made with regard to the IPCEI-funded NM20 fuel cell stack, and what are the latest trends in hydrogen and fuel cell technology?” These were just some of the topics discussed by Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder and Baden-Württemberg’s Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector Thekla Walker with the team from EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH during their company visit.
Dettingen/Erms, February 19, 2026 +++ Patrick Schnieder, Federal Minister of Transport, and Thekla Walker, Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector for Baden-Württemberg, today visited the headquarters of EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH (EKPO) in Dettingen/Erms. Hosted by Dr. Stefan Dwenger and Mark Passolt, who form the executive management team of EKPO, and Thomas Jessulat, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of EKPO and CEO of ElringKlinger AG, they toured the development and production facilities for fuel cell stacks and components at the company’s headquarters. The focus was on high-performance NM20 fuel cell stack modules for applications with significant power requirements. The development and commercialization of the NM20 are being funded with up to EUR 177 million until the end of 2027 as part of the “Hy2Tech” IPCEI* hydrogen program by the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector.
Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder in Dettingen/Erms, said:
Hydrogen is a strategic building block for competitive, climate-neutral heavy goods transportation. It offers tremendous opportunities from a technical, economic, and geopolitical perspective.
”Fuel cell drive systems can therefore be seen as a useful addition in the area of road freight transportation. EKPO’s commitment to developing high-performance fuel cell technology shows how innovatory capabilities ‘Made in Germany’ are contributing to the transformation of our mobility sector. We strongly support these efforts,”
Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector of the State of Baden-Württemberg Thekla Walker, said:
Hydrogen technologies are indispensable when it comes to achieving climate targets in the transport sector, especially with regard to climate-neutral heavy goods transportation.
”The ‘NextGen HD Stack’ project plays a key role in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technology in the southwest. As a state, we are supporting this lighthouse project because it makes an important contribution to climate change mitigation, the energy transition, and Baden-Württemberg’s competitiveness,”
While touring the facilities, Dr. Stefan Dwenger, CCO of EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH, added:
The world and its structures are undergoing rapid change.
”Hydrogen is an energy source with a promising future; it has the potential to play a significant role in the modern-day mobility and industrial sectors. To achieve this, it is essential that a comprehensive hydrogen infrastructure and competitive framework conditions for hydrogen production are established as rapidly as possible. With this in mind, we are delighted that Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder and Environment Minister Thekla Walker have shown such an interest in EKPO, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank the federal and state governments for their support as part of IPCEI funding. At EKPO, we are in the process of making fuel cell technology competitive today in an effort to drive forward carbon-neutral mobility and energy supply – be it road, rail, water, and air or even stationary applications.”
EKPO makes hydrogen technology work in practice
Covering an area of 6,500 square meters, the company headquarters in Dettingen is home to numerous highly automated production systems that are used for the industrial-scale series manufacture of EKPO fuel cell stacks and bipolar plates. EKPO’s product portfolio is a key ingredient in building a powerful and climate-neutral energy infrastructure for both mobile and stationary applications. The four modular stack platforms NM5-evo, NM12-single, NM12-twin, and NM20 cover a power range from 16 to 400 kW. The NM5 stack is used, for example, in forklift trucks or stationary energy supply systems. Thanks to its technical properties and proven durability, the NM12 stack offers maximum performance and efficiency in vehicles powered by fuel cells. With up to 400 kW, the NM20 stack module is the most powerful in the EKPO range. Among the key features of the stack are high efficiency, reduced hydrogen consumption, the ability to operate at elevated temperatures, recyclability, and a long service life, making it the perfect choice for use in commercial vehicles, buses, trains, maritime applications, and stationary power units.
As Dr. Stefan Dwenger, Chief Commercial Officer at EKPO, explained:
Advancing hydrogen solutions for a sustainable future is the spirit that drives us at EKPO.
”We are encouraged by the positive direction taken by our NM20 stack module, underpinned by IPCEI funding. At 400 kW, the NM20 is the most powerful of the EKPO stack family and represents our next step towards carbon-neutral mobility. The enhanced efficiency of the NM20 stack has already proved itself in various customer projects, such as in trucks and aircraft engines.”
As a full-service supplier, EKPO bridges the gap between hydrogen production and deployment
In developing components such as the metallic bipolar plate, EKPO has taken a further step forward when it comes to serving customers in the field of mobility and stationary applications, in addition to providing solutions for the upstream hydrogen value chain. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in the fuel cell industry and proven in-house tooling capabilities, EKPO is in a position to develop and manufacture bipolar plates at a highly cost-effective level. EKPO’s bipolar plates are also used in high-performance electrolyzers, for example, which work on the principle of PEM electrolysis to produce green hydrogen.
* IPCEI programs encompass strategic funding projects at a pan-European level that are aimed at establishing a European value chain in key economic sectors of relevance to the future. The hydrogen industry has been identified as one such key sector, of which hydrogen mobility forms a constituent part.
READ the latest news shaping the hydrogen market at Hydrogen Central
EKPO visit – Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder and Baden-Württemberg’s Minister for the Environment, Climate, and Energy Sector Thekla Walker gain insights into sustainable hydrogen mobility, source
