FKFS Veranstaltungen

2025 Stuttgart International Symposium
on Automotive and Engine Technology

2. - 3. Juli 2025

Session: Sustainable Fuels | | 17:05 - 17:35

Sustainable Fuels for Outdoor Power Tools and Equipment

Jens Melder, ANDREAS STIHL AG & Co KG

STIHL products, particularly hand-held power and gardening tools are used around the world for shaping and caring the environment and preserving biodiversity. In the power equipment sector, as elsewhere, the transformation from petrol to battery-powered products is already in full swing. As professional users will continue to rely on high power and energy consumption in the future, STIHL is pursuing a strategy of dual technology leadership. Whilst in urban areas electric drives might prevail, in rather remote areas, combustion engines will be part of the solution. It has been proven that both technologies can be operated sustainably - either with green electrons or green molecules. While green electrons can be generated rather easily, the situation for green molecules and hence E-Fuels or Biofuels is far more complex. Various technologies for the manufacture and production of the sustainable fuel solutions are therefore the subject of intensive research and development. In addition to availability, the greatest challenge is certainly meeting the requirements that must be fulfilled to ensure compatibility of the fuels with the outdoor power equipment. This paper shows the path STIHL has taken in the development of sustainable fuels for small engines for forestry and gardening applications and the steps that are to be taken in the future. In addition, it shows why a one-size-fits all solution, depending on the field of application, does not currently make sense.