Andreas Haller. Foto: Quantron AG
For the current issue of eMove360° magazine in german language, Sabine Metzger talked to the CEO of Quantron AG, Andreas Haller, about Quantron’s successful development, latest projects and future visions.
Mr. Haller, we are pleased that you have taken the time. In October 2020, we had the pleasure of presenting you with the coveted winner’s trophy of the eMove Award in the Electric Vehicle category. Rightly so, observing the enormous development of Quantron since then. What has happened since then? Briefly recount the development over the past three years.
Andreas Haller: QUANTRON has grown strongly in the last three years. We have expanded our team to over 120 employees and opened two additional locations in Switzerland and the USA with Quantron Switzerland AG and Quantron US Inc. Our range of commercial vehicles and services has also increased significantly. While in 2020 our focus was still predominantly on the retrofit electrification of vehicles, we now offer our own QUANTRON brand vehicles and have also developed hydrogen-powered vehicles. Just recently, we were able to present our top models as fuel cell trucks at Q-Days 2023 and at the ACT Expo in California. However, we do not see ourselves exclusively as a commercial vehicle manufacturer. With Quantron-as-a-Service, we offer a platform on which the customer can purchase the vehicles and everything related to their operation on a per-mile basis. In addition to the vehicles, this includes the bundling of green energy (especially hydrogen), digital services and aftersales solutions in an attractive pay-per-kilometer model.
Are you a clean tech company? What concept, what philosophy does Quantron follow?
Haller: I founded QUANTRON with the goal of making passenger and freight transport more sustainable. With our zero-emission mobility solutions, we want to have a positive impact on the entire value chain. Our 360-degree Quantron-as-a-Service platform relies on digital clean-tech solutions to drive the transformation to zero-emission transportation. In doing so, we work closely with global partners as part of the Clean Transportation Alliance we initiated.
Quantron took up the cause of decarbonizing road transport at an early stage. What role do innovative technologies such as hydrogen for zero-emission vehicles play in this?
Haller: I am firmly convinced that innovative technologies play a decisive role in creating emission-free mobility. At QUANTRON, we are focusing on both battery-electric and hydrogen-electric commercial vehicles, as both types of drive can be the right choice in different areas. Battery-electric vehicles are ideal for inner-city transport, e.g. for last-mile deliveries; hydrogen-powered vehicles make particular sense for long-distance transport over 350 km. We can proudly say that with the QUANTRON QHM FCEV, we offer a truck that achieves a range of around 700 km with a tank volume of approx. 54 kg of hydrogen and, what’s more, we are the only ones on the market to have fully integrated the hydrogen tanks into the vehicle’s frame structure, which means that there are no restrictions on use in trailer operation.
What would you like to see from policymakers on the subject of decarbonizing road transport? Are the framework conditions sufficient for this?
Haller: It is of great importance that we pick up speed now with regard to zero-emission transport in order to achieve the CO2 targets set in the area of road transport decarbonization. We urgently need measures that support the expansion of infrastructure and the promotion of sustainable technologies. This is because operating zero-emission vehicles also requires a sufficient network of charging stations or hydrogen refueling stations. Unfortunately, this infrastructure is hardly available at present. The USA is leading the way with the Inflation Reduction Act and is already investing significant sums in hydrogen technology.
What contribution is Quantron making?
Haller: We are not only putting vehicles with zero-emission drives on the roads, but are also committed to expanding the infrastructure with Quantron-as-a-Service. Together with our partners in the Clean Transportation Alliance, we are working on setting up our own QUANTRON charging stations and filling stations for green hydrogen. In this way, we are approaching the issue of sustainable mobility from both sides in order to solve the chicken-and-egg problem.
Current: Which zero-emission vehicles in the portfolio?
Haller: We offer the most comprehensive portfolio of zero-emission vehicles in the European market. This includes both battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, from buses and vans from 3.5 tons up to heavy trucks of up to 44 tons for long-distance travel.
In connection with QaaS, have you recently announced any partnerships? Which are the most important partners?
Haller: The Clean Transportation Alliance is a network of global partners with whom we can make Quantron-as-a-Service possible in the first place. Our partners include various companies that are all committed to sustainable goals. Ballard Power Systems and NEUMAN & ESSER, for example, are valuable partners and at the same time investors who supply us with important core technology for our vehicles, such as fuel cells. NEUMANN & ESSER is a champion in hydrogen infrastructure and is helping to expand it. We have also recently started working with three waste-to-hydrogen companies that will be able to supply our refueling stations with green hydrogen from the recycling of otherwise unusable waste materials.
What are Quantron’s plans for the near future?
Haller: We continue to plan to expand globally and, among other things, to further enlarge our subsidiary in the USA in order to meet the growing demand for fuel cell vehicles there. In addition, we are currently represented at many trade fairs to present our products there. In June, for example, we will be on site at the Greentech Festival in Berlin.
Where do you see Quantron in ten years’ time?
Haller: In the next few years, we will work with our partners to establish Quantron-as-a-Service on the market, and we will deliberately design this platform without any manufacturer ties. In the future, every manufacturer of zero-emission vehicles will be able to offer their vehicles via our platform. We want to become the leading platform for zero-emission vehicles in the passenger and freight transport sector.
Maybe there will be another exciting technical innovation in 2023 that Quantron would like to submit for the eMove360° Award. We would be very pleased and thank you for the interview.
