DEUTZ AG awards innovation prize to initiator of Innovation Factory

Yesterday DEUTZ AG presented the Nicolaus August Otto Award for the first time. The innovation prize, named for the founder of DEUTZ AG and co-inventor of the four-stroke engine, is awarded to modern visionaries. With prize money of €30,000, it fosters innovative ideas in the fields of alternative drive systems, transportation, energy efficiency, innovative technology, and research for the future.

The distinguished engineer Professor Günther Schuh received the accolade today at a ceremony attended by the event’s patron, Professor Andreas Pinkwart, Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker.

Prof. Günther Schuh holds the Chair of Production Systems at RWTH Aachen University, he is co-founder of the electric vehicle manufacturer StreetScooter and CEO of e.GO Mobile AG as well as initiator of the Innovation Factory. Showing innovative spirit and dedication, he is playing a prominent role in furthering the electrification of drive technologies in this country.

Innovation prize as an incentive

“We are honoring Professor Schuh, a man who has played an outstanding part in developing the transportation of the future. With the aim of demonstrating that affordable electric vehicles are feasible with today’s battery technology, he is making an immeasurable contribution to establishing carbon-neutral forms of transportation in city centers,” explained Dr. Frank Hiller at the award ceremony in the Cologne Triangle.

“I am delighted to have received this special award. It puts a certain obligation on me and my team. But above all, it is an incentive for the entire industry. Electric vehicles are right at the start of their journey into the future and still have to overcome significant challenges. We at e.GO Mobile want to play a key part in helping them to make this journey,” says Prof. Günther Schuh.

The award ceremony took place during a half-day symposium covering relevant topics. The event included a panel discussion on energy and transportation in the new technological ecosystem. The Nicolaus August Otto Award revives the Nicolaus August Otto Prize for Innovation, which was presented by the City of Cologne until 2011. The new innovation award will be bestowed annually from now on.