SET100 List 2026: kraftwerk listed as winner in Smart Mobility

Start Up Energy Transition (SET), the global platform of the German Energy Agency (dena), lists kraftwerk TUBES in its SET100 List 2026 — as a winner in the Smart Mobility category. The list names the 100 most promising energy-transition start-ups worldwide, selected from hundreds of applications out of 79 countries. It is an independent listing, publicly viewable on the SET platform.

The technology behind the listing is the Advanced Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (aSOFC) with a nanocrystalline electrolyte. Its heart is a ceramic micro-tube, 38 millimeters long and about one gram, that converts fuel directly into electricity — around 100 Wh per cell, without platinum, lithium or any other critical raw materials. In the 1-MW BOX, the platform reaches up to 92 % electrical efficiency on gas (LHV); in a vehicle, refueling takes about 2 minutes.

For kraftwerk, the listing adds an independent voice from the energy sector to a validation record that is otherwise anchored in the automotive world: five years of proof-of-concept work with the Volkswagen Group, the jointly held granted patent, 33 granted patents in total and EIC funding through the UAVEndure programs. A listing does not build a factory — but it shows that a jury judging the global energy transition places this cell platform among the top 100.

On kraftwerkgroup.com you can go deeper: the technology page explains how the cell works and explains every figure, and the datasheets are available on request, the vehicle catalogue shows all 38 models upgraded by kraftwerk, and the FAQ answers the most common questions. The original SET100 entry is linked from this page.