Herten, August 4, 2009 German Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited the Hydrogen Competence Center on the former Ewald coal mine site in Herten. He was informed about current projects in the field of renewable energies such as the demonstration project "Blue Tower" and also about the fuel cell projects of Masterflex Brennstoffzellentechnik GmbH.
Willfried Müller, a freelance employee of the subsidiary of Gelsenkirchen-based Masterflex AG, presented the climate-friendly Cargobike, a cargo cab powered by hydrogen fuel cells that can be used in the so-called last mile delivery sector, to the Federal Minister. Deutsche Telekom has already been using the Cargobike for several years. In addition, the Masterflex Cargobike is being tested in various European regions as part of the European HyChain project.
A total of 50 vehicles of the Cargobikes are to be delivered by the end of the year. New model variants will be presented at the "Eurobike" trade show in early September.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized the opportunities offered by renewable energies in creating new jobs and praised the imaginative initiatives for hydrogen technologies in Herten.