Obrist Group

Name

Obrist Group

Legal name

Obrist Group

Website

https://obrist.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Powertrain and Thermal Management Engineering

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334), Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Biofuel Plant EPC, O&M & Process Technology Providers (EUAAAHAK)

Keywords

• Automotive powertrain systems
• Thermal management solutions
• Scroll compressor technology
• Climate-positive engineering
• Green methanol production

Headquarters

HQ city

Lustenau

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Licensing of patented technologies including compressors, Zero Vibration Generator, and high energy density batteries to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. Patent pool licensing model offering access to 500+ patents with 1% royalty rate.
2. Know-How Transfer Services: Product development and knowledge transfer services including training, simulation tools, and engineering support from concept through production. Structured 5-phase development process from A-Sample to SOP.
3. Sub Zero Methanol Production Plants: Investment and development of industrial-scale Sub Zero Methanol production facilities. Multi-phase deployment including Demo Plant ($60M), Modern Forest Plant ($1.5B), and Giga Plant ($16.3B) phases.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Obrist Group is an engineering development company that designs, develops, and licenses a portfolio of climate-positive technologies. Its core products include the HyperHybrid series powertrain (combining the Zero Vibration Generator, vacuum-fixation batteries, and electric drive), the eScroll family of scroll compressors and expanders for natural refrigerants, vehicle thermal management systems, A/C and heat pump systems, OBRIST DAC+ direct air capture units, Sub Zero Methanol (a climate-positive green methanol energy carrier), and the cSink permanent carbon storage solution. The company monetizes these through patent-pool licensing (1% royalty on 500+ patents), know-how transfer and engineering services to OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, and investment partnerships for industrial-scale Sub Zero Methanol production plants.

Product overview

Obrist Group is an engineering development company offering a portfolio of climate-positive technologies. The core offerings include the HyperHybrid Powertrain (serial hybrid system combining Zero Vibration Generator with high-voltage batteries), Sub Zero Methanol (climate-positive energy carrier), and OBRIST DAC+ (direct air capture). Supporting products include scroll and piston compressors, expanders, thermal management systems, and data center cooling technology. The company operates through three divisions: Obrist Technologies (CO2-negative energy carrier), Obrist Powertrain (HyperHybrid system), and Obrist Engineering (thermal management and compressors). Services include patent pool licensing, know-how transfer, simulation tools, and testing capabilities. The company targets automotive, energy, residential, aviation, maritime, and chemical industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HyperHybrid: Revolutionary series hybrid powertrain system combining electric driving with unlimited range using green methanol as fuel, representing the world's first climate-positive powertrain
• Sub Zero Methanol
• Sub Zero Carbon Fiber (cSink)
• OBRIST DAC+
• eScroll Compressor
• Zero Vibration Generator (ZVG)
• Vacuum Fixation Battery

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 80% lower energy consumption in data center cooling compared to air cooling
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UNIDOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) awarded HyperHybrid Powertrain 'Most Promising Solution 2023' in Energy Efficiency category. Frank Obrist served as speaker at COP27 in Egypt. UNIDO provides political support for Obrist's climate-positive technologies.
• ILFcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025ILF conducted successful technical and techno-economical due diligence review for Obrist in 2024. Independent validation of Sub Zero Technologies confirms commercial viability.
• BDOcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025BDO conducted independent commercial/financial due diligence on Sub Zero Technologies with very positive findings. Validated $1.2T+ market opportunity for renewable energy carriers.
• ETL-IPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025ETL-IP conducted patent due diligence confirming strength of Sub Zero technology patent portfolio with 130+ active patents.
• Austrian Chinese Business AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance for Austrian-Chinese business relations and market development.
• Austrian Economic Chamber in ChinaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic alliance for economic cooperation and business development in China market.
• Wirtschaftsforum der FührungskräfteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic alliance with German executives forum for leadership networking and business development.
• Deutscher BundestagminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPolitical support from German parliament for Obrist's climate-positive technology initiatives.
• Chemical Industry PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with chemical industry for Sub Zero Methanol to SAF conversion using established methanol-to-SAF synthesis technologies.
• Mercedes-BenzcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMercedes S-Class uses Obrist's PFAS-free refrigerant R744. Obrist developed first mass production ready CO₂ compressor for automotive use, validated by Mercedes integration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Danfoss A/S: Danish industrial giant with significant scroll compressor and natural refrigerant HVAC business. Direct overlap with Obrist's eScroll compressor and R744/R290 refrigerant systems, though Danfoss operates at massive scale across HVAC, refrigeration, and industrial automation with established global OEM relationships.
• Vertiv Holdings: US-listed data center infrastructure specialist including liquid cooling solutions for AI/hyperscale deployments. Direct competitor in Obrist's newly launched data center cooling line, though Vertiv operates at massive scale with established hyperscaler relationships and broader thermal management portfolio.
• Bitzer SE: German global market leader in scroll and reciprocating compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning. Direct overlap with Obrist's eScroll compressor business, but Bitzer is much larger with broader product portfolio and established global distribution across commercial refrigeration.
• MAHLE GmbH: German automotive Tier 1 supplier with strong presence in thermal management, HVAC compressors, and electrified powertrain components. Comparable to Obrist in providing automotive thermal management and HVAC solutions to global OEMs, though MAHLE operates at substantially larger scale with broader product portfolio.
• FEV Group: German automotive engineering services and powertrain development firm. Comparable to Obrist in providing powertrain design, prototype development, and testing services, but FEV operates at much larger scale with broader service portfolio across ICE, hybrid, BEV, and hydrogen powertrains.
• AVL List GmbH: Austrian powertrain engineering services giant with deep automotive OEM relationships. Comparable to Obrist in providing powertrain development, simulation tools, and engineering know-how transfer services to global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, though AVL is far larger and serves the broader powertrain market including ICE, BEV, and FCEV.

Direct peers

• Climeworks: Swiss direct air capture leader and Obrist's closest competitor in the DAC space. Both target industrial-scale atmospheric CO2 removal, but Climeworks focuses on solid sorbent DAC while Obrist's DAC+ uses continuous liquid alkaline process. Climeworks has raised significantly more capital and operates multiple commercial-scale plants.
• Carbon Recycling International: Icelandic company operating the George Olah renewable methanol plant, producing eMethanol from CO2 and H2. Directly comparable to Obrist's Sub Zero Methanol business as both produce green methanol as a climate-positive fuel, though CRI sources CO2 from industrial emissions rather than direct air capture.

Emerging players

• Prometheus Fuels: California-based startup producing carbon-neutral gasoline from atmospheric CO2 and renewable electricity. Comparable to Obrist's Sub Zero Methanol in pursuing carbon-negative synthetic fuels, though targeting gasoline market for existing ICE vehicles rather than methanol for hybrid applications.
• Heirloom Carbon Technologies: California-based DAC startup using limestone-based DAC technology. Direct competitor in DAC space with similar climate-positive mission, though using fundamentally different chemistry (limestone calcination vs Obrist's NaOH liquid alkaline process). Both target industrial-scale atmospheric CO2 capture for permanent storage or utilization.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Obrist_Group
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCazi-K0LWaImV-BxIzfHVmA
• Facebookfacebook.com/obristgroup1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obrist-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Obrist Group