Joan Hendrik Rüschkamp

E-mobility, self-sufficient energy supply and Cittaslow - these are matters close to his heart

It all began when Joan-Hendrik Rüschkamp visited the Geneva Motor Show in 1986. A Munich-based engineering firm presented the eco-Leo. "I was thrilled by it and the topic of e-mobility never left my mind," recalls the owner of Autohäuser Rüschkamp. We are sitting in his office at the dealership in Lüdinghausen. Under the table is Lucy the hunting dog, who is sleeping peacefully and occasionally looks up with one eye.

"For me, the electric car was the symbiosis of biology and economics - I actually wanted to study the latter," Rüschkamp continues. He started to raise awareness of the topic in his own car dealership back in 1989. He also bought his first electric car at that time. He is a pioneer from the very beginning.

Smiled at in the 90s

"At the beginning of the 90s, the Hotzenblitz came along, which we also sold here. That was 30 years before Tesla," says Hendrik Rüschkamp. "Thomas Gottschalk drove it through the TV studio. And many physicists said: e-mobility is possible. But there were major economic forces that prevented further development. It simply didn't fit in with the energy suppliers' business model. If we had stayed on the ball back then, we wouldn't have to be so behind the times today," explains Rüschkamp. 1992 also saw the start of the "Tour de Ruhr": friends of electromobility drove through the Ruhr region in their vehicles to draw attention to the issue. Joan-Hendrik Rüschkamp was also there, having co-initiated the tour. "Back then, we were still ridiculed," says the Lüdinghausen native.

enomo

Today, the topic is more relevant than ever. And Rüschkamp has never let up. In 2017, he founded enomo - a network of regional specialist companies dedicated to technical change and renewable energies. enomo advises customers on all questions relating to the personal energy transition: whether it's about their own wallbox, the right electric car or a photovoltaic system. enomo also finds the right specialist companies locally and provides support in applying for subsidies. "The project is all about electromobility and energy self-sufficiency. We also provide comprehensive information about this at enomo," explains Rüschkamp. Incidentally, he chose the name enomo because he is a big fan of the book "Momo" by Michael Ende.

Car battery emits electricity

The latest development is bidirectional charging: a car battery that can also release electricity. The electric car can store surplus electricity during the day, for example from the photovoltaic system, and return it when needed - to an electrical device, the home or the power grid. The Lüdinghausen resident already drives a car that can do this.

But an electric car is still very expensive, isn't it? Rüschkamp counters this: Prices have already fallen, there is a subsidy for e-cars, charging is much cheaper than filling up with diesel or petrol and maintenance costs are also much lower than for a combustion engine. "There are around 100 fewer parts in an electric car, there is no exhaust, no oil, no clutch and you hardly have to brake at all. So you have to go to the garage much less often," explains Rüschkamp. "Not to mention the environmental benefits."

Preserving a unique urban culture

In addition to the energy transition, "Cittaslow" is a matter close to the Lüdinghausen native's heart. It all started when he read an essay: "Is this the life we want for our children?" It was about Carlo Petrini. In the 1980s, the Italian had protested against McDonalds setting up shop on the Spanish Steps in Rome. The birth of the slow food movement. "And that's exactly what I want for Lüdinghausen. Cittaslow is an attempt not to let the individual, unique urban culture die out and a plea for diversity, for one city not to look like another. It's about appreciating the uniqueness of a city."

Rüschkamp founded a working group with Martin Bußkamp, then Managing Director of Lüdinghausen Marketing, and together with many Lüdinghausen residents, they prepared Lüdinghausen's certification as a Cittaslow. Lüdinghausen has officially been a Cittaslow town since 2007. "I hope that the Cittaslow idea will become even more tangible here. That people can see, grasp and experience the snail places (the snail is the Cittaslow symbol). That the citizens know: What actually is Cittaslow?

For him, the Stever is the symbol of the Cittaslow idea. "We have over 50 bridges in our city that cross the Stever. If you take a few minutes to observe the course of the water - that's the discovery of slowness. That is deceleration." Nadine Wenge

Anniversary: The Rüschkamp dealership is celebrating its 200th anniversary in 2025 and would like to present the company's history in a traveling exhibition. "The company's history from 1931 onwards is well documented, but we hardly know anything about the first 106 years," says Joan-Hendrik Rüschkamp. He is asking the people of Lüdinghausen and the surrounding area for help: "Please contact the dealership if you have any photos, newspaper cuttings or machines from us." Rüschkamp can be contacted by phone (02591/797910) and by email: jhr@autohaus-rueschkamp.de