It seems like Nikola Motors [Nasdaq: NKLA] was able to stop the bleeding of the past few months. The stock is rising again. Up to 30 million shares are now traded each day, a comparatively high volume for the company. The new-found optimism among investors seems to stem from reports about Nikola’s recent progress in meeting its targets. Construction of the Arizona factory is well underway. Then there are new production facilities being built in Ulm, Germany. And another boost for the stock came when competitor Daimler Truck announced its intention to have 5,000 hydrogen-fueled heavy-duty vehicles on the road over the next few years, with business partner Shell providing the fueling infrastructure. Sounds a lot like Nikola’s business model, the difference being that Nikola will produce its own hydrogen, and be able to keep the revenue, instead of outsourcing the task to another company.
German
Number of HyStarter applications now at 65
HyStarter remains as popular as ever. Like the competition’s first round, the second attracted the interest of much more organizations than the German transportation ministry was able to fund. By May 14, the ministry’s NOW office had received 65 applications for funding local hydrogen economies as part of the HyLand program. Few of the organizations had already applied the first time around.
A guide to hydrogen innovations
Where have we made considerable progress in developing hydrogen technology? In what market are there still hurdles to overcome? Where do we still need to remove roadblocks to innovation? Answering questions like these is the task of Hydrogen Compass, a two-year project launched by the German education and economy ministries and funded with EUR 4.2 million.
Next Energy as New DLR Location
The Next Energy research center has gone through uncertain times recently. Last November, the German government did make EUR 7 million per year available to fund the organization, but those millions would only be paid if Next were incorporated into the DLR, the German Aerospace Center. Its integration into the government’s main research organization on aerospace and energy technology, transportation and safety in basic and applied research is intended to save 120 jobs in Oldenburg, Germany
German Government Launches FC Subsidy Program
On Aug. 1, 2016, the heating industry got the certainty they wanted with regard to the future policy framework for state-of-the-art fuel cell heating systems: The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) announced two new subsidy programs, one providing an investment grant for fuel cell heating systems and one for optimizing heating technology by replacing old pumps. Both financial measures are part of the Incentive Program Energy Efficiency (APEE)
DWV integrates performing energy
On 12th June 2015, the 20th meeting of the members of the German Association for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells [Deutscher Wasserstoff- und Brennstoffzellen-Verband e.V.] (DWV) took place in Hamburg. This year there were no elections to the executive board. Instead, Werner Diwald, who has been acting Chairman since 2014, explained the modernization steps within the association that are currently ongoing. Diwald, who is also the full-time Managing Director of ENCON.Europe, explained
kraftwerk stays kraftwerk
eZelleron has won its case against Kraftwerk musician Ralf Hütter. On 16th April 2015, Dr. Sascha Kühn, Managing Director of the Dresden-based fuel cell manufacturer had to appear at Hamburg district court because the leader of the German electro-pop-band Kraftwerk had claimed ownership of the name rights for the “Kraftwerk” and had submitted injunctions in the USA and Germany. Despite Kühn’s previous attempts to come to an amicable agreement the matter was resolved in the court room in