VOLK Wins an Award in the Dr.-Rudolf- Eberle Innovation Award Competition

<H1>Herzlich Willkommen bei VOLK Fahrzeugbau GmbH!<H1> Fahrersitzwagen und Fahrersitzschlepper mit Elektro-, Diesel-, Hybrid- und Treibgasantrieb für den Einsatz in der Industrie, auf Flughäfen und im kommunalen Bereich.


	VOLK wins an award in the

Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle Innovation Award competition

Stuttgart, 17.11.2003 – The Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Walter Döring, presented an award to VOLK in the Dr.-Rudolf-
Eberle Innovation Award competition of the State of Baden-Württemberg.

Since 1985, the award endowed with a total of 50.000 euros has been given to small and medium-sized com-
panies from industrial and trade sectors for exemplary achievements in the development of new products and services. Outstanding innovation performance of medi-
um-sized companies gains public recognition with this special distinction. The award is named after its initia
tor, the former State Secretary of Commerce Dr. Rudolf Eberle.

VOLK received the award for the newly developed Hybrid Tow Tractor HFZ 20 N. This vehicle type is primarily used as baggage tractor at airports. The commended vehicle features a modern hybrid drive which enables it




	Dr. Walter Döring, the Secretary of Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg, presents the certificate to VOLK Managing Director Lutz Baur

to be driven in a diesel mode or an entirely electric mode. Therefore it is not only especially environmentally friendly but also meets operative requirements at airports: Since baggage handling areas of large airports are usually lo-
cated inside the airport buildings, entry with an emission-free electric motor is advantageous from an occupational health and safety perspective. Thanks to the diesel engine which can be switched on outdoors, the vehicle’s range is practically unlimited because the batteries are recharged during diesel operation. This is important because bag-
gage tractors on airports run back and forth between the parking positions of airplanes and the terminal buildings




	Since 1985, the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle Award, endowed with 50.000 euros, has been given to honor outstanding innovation performance of medium-sized companies – The award is named after its initiator, the former State Secretary of Commerce Dr. Rudolf Eberle

	innumerable times a day and cover great distances in the process. A special technical highlight of the commended hybrid tow tractor is its modular design: unlike conventional hybrid vehicles, these tow tractors have a diesel engine that is not permanently installed in the vehicle but is part of a modular unit. This unit can be replaced in just five minutes and can also be operated autonomously. Therefore all conventional maintenance and repair jobs can be performed on the diesel engine even without the vehicle. This is advantageous because the diesel en- gine is the vehicle component which requires the most maintenance despite a comparably long service interval of 500 operating hours. Thus the modular design helps to reduce maintenance-related downtimes by up to 90 percent. Vehicle operating companies can benefit from higher vehicle availability and substantial cost savings. What’s more, they can profit from a higher future proofness of their investments: for the modular design of VOLK Hybrid Tow Tractors makes them future-oriented and highly flexible tow vehicles. Thus it is not surprising that VOLK’s sales increased considerably immediately after the introduction of the innovative product on the market. This too – the com- mercial success – was, in addition to the inventive in- genuity of the product and the special entrepreneurial efforts made to develop it, a key criterion for the bestowal of the award.


		innovation@work^®