Gebrüder Weiss sends a solar-powered truck to the world's highest volcano

Zurich / Lauterach, October 5, 2023. The world's highest volcano, a team trying to reach the summit using a solar-powered e-truck, and an attempt at a world record: these are the essential components of a high-profile project that is about to get started in the Chilean Andes. The three men from Switzerland forming the Peak Evolution Team want to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado using their solar-powered truck specifically developed for this purpose. At a height of 6,893 m, it is the highest active volcano on earth. As the team's main sponsor and logistics partner, Gebrüder Weiss will make a considerable contribution to the project's success. The logistics company has just dispatched the sophisticated vehicle and all the expedition equipment to Chile by sea freight. The next destination after its arrival will be Ojos del Salado. If the team reaches the summit, it will be a new world record. Never has a vehicle climbed that high.

"Due to its limited payload capacity, this solar-powered vehicle cannot yet replace a conventional truck, but it shows a completely new direction in which we will be able to move with alternative drives in the future," says Frank Haas, Head of Corporate Brand Strategy & Communications at Gebrüder Weiss. The solar-powered multi-purpose vehicle has more traction capacity than an average 40-ton semi-truck and could be used especially in rough terrain. Gebrüder Weiss has already sponsored a number of projects of this kind. "Being the oldest logistics company in the world, we feel committed to helping shape the future of mobility," explains Frank Haas, the motives behind this cooperation.

For nearly four years, the three Swiss developers, David Pröschel, Patrik and David Koller, have been working on putting the multi-purpose truck into practice. By embarking on an expedition to a place no vehicle has ever reached, they want to prove the efficiency of alternative drive technologies. "Our vehicle makes it possible to perform even the most demanding transport tasks, whether in mining or when erecting high-altitude solar power plants, in an environmentally compatible and economically efficient manner. The expedition will show the commercial viability of the product we developed," says Patrik Koller, Head of Finance and co-developer of the Peak Evolution Team. "In Gebrüder Weiss, we have gained a partner who shares our vision of sustainable mobility and, as an international transport company, will also benefit from it in practical terms in the future."

The transport requires comprehensive expertise and flexibility: since electrically powered vehicles are considered hazardous goods, the specialists of the international transport company developed a double container floor that secures the expedition equipment and allows the battery to be disconnected. In addition, extensive documentation must meet the strict safety and customs requirements at sea and in the destination country.

The daring mission will be accompanied by a documentary film team led by award-winning Swiss filmmaker Claudio von Planta.

All information at a glance

Mission

High-altitude world record with solar-powered truck

Destination

The world's highest volcano: Ojos del Salado in Chile (6,893 m)

Transport

Land transport:
Sevelen (CH) – Rotterdam (NL): 889 km
San Antonio (CL) – Salar de Maricunga (CL): 780 km
Sea transport:
Rotterdam – San Antonio: 12,021 km
Packaging:
Double container floor secures expedition equipment and allows for battery disconnection

Solar-powered truck

Basis:
Multi-purpose truck by Aebi Schmidt
Equipment:
2 electric motors
380 hp
200 km range
240 kW output

Photovoltaics

42 m2 modules on the roof and as mobile extensions
7.4 kWp total output

About Gebrüder Weiss

Gebrüder Weiss, a global freight forwarder with a core business of overland transport, air and sea freight, and logistics, is the world's oldest transport company with a history of more than 500 years. The family-owned company employs more than 8,400 people worldwide and boasts 180 company-owned locations. The business presence in North America includes headquarters in Chicago and offices in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, Laredo, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. The company has implemented a wide variety of environmental, economic and social initiatives and is considered a pioneer in sustainable business practices. The company's emphasis on superior customer service pairs customized solutions with a single point of contact to provide customers with focused, reliable, and economical solutions. www.gw-world.com/us

Contacts

North American Contact:

Karolyn Raphael

Public Relations for Gebrüder Weiss

karolyn@wingermarketing.com

312-494-0422