Munich–In 2016, Bertrand Piccard completed the first solar flight around the world. Since then, he intensively involves in the protection of the environment through his “Solar Impulse Foundation.”
His approach is to combine environmental protection and technological progress, showing that environmental protection can also be economically attractive. With his foundation, Piccard now wants to select a total of 1000 innovative solutions that can profitably protect the environment. One of these solutions – as of now, almost 700 solutions were selected – is the hydrogen technology of the Munich-based Clean Mobility Start-up KEYOU, which ensures emission-free hydrogen engines. One of the aims of the Solar Impulse Foundation is to connect the selected companies with decision-makers from politics and business to achieve environmental goals more quickly.
As a technology leader for hydrogen combustion engines, the Munich-based start-up KEYOU is working flat out to change the automotive industry towards sustainability and resource efficiency. After more than 20 years of experience with hydrogen, one thing was clear to the Munich-based company from the outset: in the long term, this change is not possible without water and sun.
“With our KEYOU-inside technology, we not only want to play our part in the mobility revolution but also generate an attractive business case. The combination of scalability and the flexible adaptation of the KEYOU technology platform to different engines and vehicle systems allows rapid market penetration with high volumes at diesel-equivalent prices,” explains Thomas Korn, CEO and one of the founders of KEYOU.
To achieve this ambitious goal, the team, which now has 40 members, is working intensively on the mobility of the future. “There is huge interest in our technology, not only from our direct customers, for example, engine and vehicle manufacturers but also from end customers as well as transport companies, logistics, and freight forwarding companies with their truck fleets. Of course, we are pleased to be part of the #1000solutions program now”, says Thomas Korn. It was, above all, the commitment to environmental protection combined with KEYOU’s immense spirit of innovation that led the Solar Impulse Foundation to include the Munich-based high-tech company among its “1,000 solutions that are changing the world”.
The jury’s statement says:
“… Secondly, the use of hydrogen in existing combustion engines is clean and environmentally friendly, which is a great advantage for the environment. Thirdly, large capacities for the production of combustion engines are already available worldwide. KEYOU makes it possible to use these machines for the production of internal combustion engines, thus preventing these machines from contributing to waste, landfill, or recycling, which would otherwise have harmed the environment”.
In addition to the “Solar Impulse Efficient Solution” label, KEYOU-inside technology has won several prestigious awards over the past five years, including the SET100 initiative, the German Innovation Award 2018, and the Green Product Award 2017.
Who is KEYOU?
KEYOU is a successful high-tech company operating in the field of clean mobility, which develops innovative hydrogen technologies, more specifically hydrogen components for engine and vehicle manufacturers. These technologies enable conventional engines to be transformed cost-effectively into emission-free hydrogen engines – without significant modifications to the base engine.
Emission-free technology.
The new “green” combustion engine with KEYOU-inside technology means zero emissions, efficiency, and economy at the same time – without compromising on performance, capacity, or range. Vehicles with hydrogen engines are considered zero-emission vehicles according to EU standards. The technology is engine and manufacturer-independent, scalable, and can be used for both on- and off-road but ultimately for all applications that use a combustion engine. The current focus is on commercial vehicle engines.
With KEYOU, “Sustainable Zero Emission” becomes a reality.
About the Solar Impulse Foundation
The “World Alliance for Efficient Solutions” (short: World Alliance) is an initiative launched by the Solar Impulse Foundation in 2016 following the success of the first solar flight around the world. Since its inception, the initiative has brought together the key players in the field of “clean technologies” to create synergies that will ultimately accelerate the implementation of clean and profitable solutions – solutions that have the potential to address today’s environmental challenges.
With the “World Alliance”, the Solar Impulse Foundation has launched the second phase of its action: It is selecting 1000 solutions that can protect the environment in a profitable way and bringing them to decision- makers to encourage them to adopt more ambitious environmental goals and energy policies. The #1000solutions portfolio was announced during COP24 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Poland in December 2018.
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