Ognjen Tasic drives electrically. His new company car: a Vivaro-e HYDROGEN. The hydrogen fuel cell drive produces electricity while commuting between dental practices, medical and pharmaceutical laboratories. His expertise is the highly complex inner workings of laboratory washers. And that of thermal disinfection devices or sterilizers. He has been working as a service technician for Miele in the Rhine-Main area for eleven years. Wherever the professional devices from the Gütersloh-based manufacturer are in use, need to be serviced, checked or repaired.
The three hydrogen tanks in his new company car are installed in the underbody, which means that the six cubic meters of loading volume are fully retained. Because: “I can’t make any concessions to the loading space,” he says and opens the sliding door: the loading space is filled to the last centimeter with shelving systems, equipped with special tools and spare parts. “My new company vehicle,” he says, “combines electric mobility with the comfort I’m used to.” In other words: long range, fill up in just a few minutes and plenty of storage space – “and only water comes out of the exhaust.” Practical: He has it Choice between three hydrogen filling stations located in his area of operation.
“My new company vehicle combines electric mobility with the comfort I’m used to.”
– Ognjen Tasic –
Driving fun included: the service technician looks after customers throughout the Rhine-Main area.
Made-to-measure: The loading space is fully stocked with special tools and spare parts up to the roof.
Proven specialist: The professional devices that he maintains and repairs include laboratory washers and sterilizers.
The Miele corporate philosophy: “Always better”
With eleven employees, four lathes and a drill, the technician Carl Miele and the businessman Reinhard Zinkann founded a company in 1899 in Herzebrock in today’s Gütersloh district to manufacture milk centrifuges. Their leitmotif “Immer Better”, which they print on the first devices, becomes the corporate philosophy. In the meantime, the family business has stood for high-quality household and commercial appliances for 120 years, including appliances for the kitchen, laundry and floor care as well as for use in commercial establishments or medical facilities. Miele employs 21,000 people worldwide, including over 11,000 in Germany. A nice fun fact: from 1912 to 1914 the Gütersloh group competed with Opel. Cars were produced – a total of 143 left the factory.
The Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN is the first light commercial vehicle with a hydrogen fuel cell drive on Germany’s roads. And Miele is one of the first corporate customers to rely on the Rüsselsheim power plant on wheels. After a successful test phase, Ognjen Tasic’s company car was equipped with the shelving system, and the service technician has been on the road emission-free for three months. The biggest difference to his previous company car with a combustion engine? “Driving it,” he says, “it’s my first car with an electric drive – I didn’t think it would be so much fun.”
contribution to sustainability
The use of the Opel Vivaro-e HYDROGEN in Miele’s customer service fleet is closely linked to the company’s ambitious climate protection strategy: “At Miele, sustainability is not just a buzzword, but a pillar on which the brand is built,” says Frank Tegeder, Sustainability specialist at Miele and responsible for optimizing the supply chains. The aspiration of the family company is not only to be a pioneer in terms of energy efficiency and environmental protection when it comes to domestic and commercial appliances. The company’s own CO2 footprint is also in focus.
Done quickly: Refueling with hydrogen takes three minutes. According to WLTP, the range is up to 400 kilometers.
Infrastructure: The hydrogen is stored in the outbuilding, compressed and cooled to minus 40 degrees before refueling.
Practical: Almost all hydrogen filling stations in Germany are operated by H2 MOBILITY; you only need one fuel card.
It’s quick: put on the fuel pistol, press the start button – after three minutes the hydrogen tanks are full.
All locations worldwide are already CO₂-neutral, and emissions from the Miele vehicle fleet are to be reduced by at least 30 percent worldwide by 2030 compared to 2019. “With the hydrogen fuel cell drive, we are closing a gap between combustion engines and classic electric vehicles, which plays an important role, especially over longer distances and high transport volumes,” explains Tegeder. And because durable products are particularly sustainable, the devices from Gütersloh are designed in such a way that they can be repaired. From specialists like Ognjen Tasic.
“Interest is huge”
The service technician drives past hotels and company headquarters to his last customer. The goal is a laboratory in the “Lyoner Quartier”, better known as the office district in Frankfurt’s Niederrad district. Even as he fills his suitcase with tools and potential spare parts for the upcoming maintenance, he gets company. “Are you driving with hydrogen?” asks a man who introduces himself as a master craftsman, “I think that’s good – how is it?” A short technical discussion about recuperation, the 700-bar hydrogen tanks and the 100 kW electric motor. “It happens to me all the time,” says Ongjen, shrugging his shoulders, “there’s huge interest.”
On the way home, he stops to refuel on the Niederraeder Ufer. It’s quick: put on the fuel pistol, press the start button – after three minutes the hydrogen tanks are filled for another 400 kilometers according to WLTP. It is something special to be one of the first to be on the road with a fuel cell drive every day, he admits. “My experiences after three months – all positive,” he says. His neighbors are happy too. “My working day starts early. If I start driving silently at 5:30 a.m. in the morning, they won’t even notice it.”
November 2022
Photos: Andreas Liebschner/Opel