Clean mobility from Hesse for the world

• Hesse’s Minister President Volker Bouffier visits the materials technology and recycling group Umicore.

• The focus of the visit is on Umicore technologies that drive clean mobility.

• Research, development, and production in this area have been taking place at Umicore’s Hanau-Wolfgang site for over 50 years.

“I’m always interested in good ideas and solutions from Hesse for the world—today I’ve learned about some of them in the field of clean mobility,” said Hesse’s Minister President Volker Bouffier at the end of his visit to the materials technology and recycling group Umicore. “It is impressive to see that here at your Hanau site, the foundation for sustainable mobility was laid over 50 years ago with the start of research into automotive exhaust catalysts. And I am pleased that Umicore employees are consistently and highly motivated in pursuing this approach.”

Bouffier visited the company together with Srita Heide, the current CDU candidate for district administrator of the Main-Kinzig district, and a delegation of CDU state parliament members. They were welcomed by Dr. Bernhard Fuchs, CEO of Umicore AG & Co. KG, and numerous employees, who presented their research and production activities to the visitors. From the group’s extensive product portfolio, which specializes in clean technologies, the focus was placed on mobility. Using a hybrid, an electric, and a fuel cell vehicle, the employees demonstrated the key elements in which Umicore technologies are incorporated.

“Our society is becoming increasingly mobile. While we must, of course, meet the growing demand for greater mobility, we must also ensure that this goes hand in hand with reducing emissions to improve air quality,” Fuchs explained to the visitors. “Our expertise in materials for rechargeable batteries, automotive catalytic converters, fuel cell materials, and battery recycling puts us in a strong position to further develop the concept of ‘clean mobility’ from various perspectives.”

The company has long been engaged in technologies that make mobility more sustainable: Since pioneering automotive exhaust catalysts in the 1960s at its Hanau-Wolfgang site, Umicore has become one of the world’s three leading manufacturers, with its products ensuring the conversion of harmful emissions into environmentally friendly ones. Today, the company is also a leading producer of battery materials for hybrid and electric vehicles—Umicore’s cumulative production to date could power approximately one million electric vehicles. In the field of fuel cell technology, the company develops and produces materials at its Hanau site that can be used in automotive fuel cells.

At the end of their life cycle, products manufactured by Umicore can be recycled in-house. During the recycling process, the company recovers more than 20 precious and specialty metals and returns them to the recycling cycle. For example, valuable materials are recovered from old vehicle batteries in hybrid or electric cars and can be reused in Umicore battery materials, closing the material cycle and conserving resources. “It speaks to the appeal of the Main-Kinzig district that a company like Umicore has remained based here for so many years and continues to grow sustainably,” said district administrator candidate Srita Heide at the conclusion of the visit. 

Captions

Image 1: Umicore Executive Board member Dr. Bernhard Fuchs (right) explains how a car exhaust catalyst works to Hesse’s Minister President Volker Bouffier.

Image 2: (from left to right) CDU district administrator candidate Srita Heide, Minister President Volker Bouffier, Umicore Executive Board member Dr. Bernhard Fuchs, and two Umicore employees during a tour on the topic of “clean mobility.”