Deutz to purchase UMS
Deutz acquires Dutch company Urban Mobility Systems (UMS), involved in the field of battery-electric drives for off-highway applications
After the sale of Torqeedo Deutz took over Urban Mobility Systems (UMS), the Dutch battery specialist. Deutz thus continues its Dual + strategy with a milestone in its growth path. After the enhancement of the ICE offer, with the launch of the TCD 3.9/4.0 and the agreement with Rolls-Royce Power Systems, it is time for the upgrade in the BEV.
UMS will be the Deutz leverage to accelerate the penetration of battery technology
The Dutch company is deeply involved in the field of battery-electric drives for off-highway applications and has so far electrified more than 200 machines, including excavators, wheel loaders, and cranes. The ideal partner for claiming credit at bauma as a driver of electrification. It generated revenue of around €10 million in 2024. New orders are expected to be in the high-double-digit millions.
By acquiring UMS, DEUTZ gains access to new customer segments in transport and logistics while accelerating the development of alternative drive systems. UMS’s electrification kits allow easy integration of electric drives into existing engine compartments, avoiding costly redesigns. The swappable batteries, which can be installed in place of counterweights—for example, on excavators—can be changed in under ten minutes, making them ideal for heavy-duty applications such as construction and agriculture. When combined with compact DEUTZ combustion engines in hybrid configurations, even larger machines can be electrified. UMS’s technology also opens up opportunities in the defense sector, with feasibility studies already exploring hybrid solutions for military vehicles like the Bushmaster, where the low noise of electric drives can offer tactical advantages. The industrialization of the UMS solutions will predominantly take place at DEUTZ’s German sites.
Quoting each player
“By acquiring UMS, DEUTZ is accelerating the development of battery-electric drives for heavy- duty applications and will immediately facilitate the electrification of larger off-highway machines,” says Deutz CEO Sebastian C. Schulte. “We are thus taking a strategically important step under our Dual+ strategy and will play a key role in the consolidation of the market for internal combustion engines and for climate-friendly drives used to power large machines.”
Deutz New Technology CEO Bert van Hasselt stated: “By purchasing UMS, we are taking a technological leap forward and saving both time and resources. Moreover, our expertise in industrialization will enable the UMS technology to be scaled up. This acquisition underpins our strategy to offer the best products in the market to our customer, now and in the future.”
UMS-CEO and -CTO Lars Kool says: “Deutz’s 161 years of industrial experience and its modern production network at major sites in Germany make it the ideal partner for automating battery assembly and the production of e-kits and ramping them up for mass distribution.”
