Team drives solar-powered truck to new heights

The Gebruder Weiss Peak Evolution Team has set a new world altitude record for e-vehicles at 6500 metres above sea level.

The team drove up to the western ridge of Ojos del Salado – the highest active volcano on earth – in their truck powered exclusively by solar energy. This is the highest anyone has gone with an e-vehicle.

“This is a record not only for this technology, but for our years of research work and for the very future of mobility,” says Patrik Koller, CEO, and developer at Peak Evolution. “We hope that this success will attract more attention to alternative drives and their use in mining and other demanding transport tasks.”

Logistics partner and main sponsor Gebruder Weiss has been on board since the very beginning. Not only did the company ensure the vehicle arrived safely in South America, but it also co-financed the innovative venture.

“As the oldest transport and logistics company, we are committed to the future of mobility,” said Frank Haas, Head of Corporate Brand Strategy & Communications at Gebruder Weiss. “This success underlines our ongoing support for sustainable mobility projects and innovative technologies. We are delighted for the team and will now bring the record-breaking vehicle safely back to Switzerland.”

The impressive undertaking began two months ago. Gebruder Weiss transported the e-truck from Switzerland via Rotterdam and then by sea freight to Chile. Another overland transport took the solar truck to the Atacama region.

The Peak Evolution team started at the Maricunga salt lake with the first exploratory tours and acclimatisation on the mountain, at an elevation of 3400 metres. The extreme terrain and environmental conditions of the world’s highest volcano not only put the high-tech vehicle to the test, but also put the team under extreme physical and mental strain.

“Despite these extreme conditions, our specially developed vehicle managed to drive higher than any other e-vehicle – let alone a solar-powered one,” says Patrik Koller, CEO, and developer at Peak Evolution.

“We have been training for this moment for four years, so giving up was never an option,” he added. The three adventurers reached the first milestone at the end of November, breaking the record for e-vehicles by surpassing the 6000-metre barrier. One week later, they reached 6500 metres above sea level – the record height of their mission.

They reached the western ridge of Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano on earth, using nothing but solar power. With the world record in the bag, the Peak Evolution team is now heading back to Switzerland, with Gebruder Weiss ensuring that the record-breaking vehicle also makes it safely back to Europe.

The logistics company will continue to support such forward-looking projects. January will see a dress rehearsal of the Austrian Space Forum’s Mars mission take place at the Gebruder Weiss site in Maria Lanzendorf near Vienna. The company will also test an autonomous truck next year and send an international research team to Greenland to gain important insights into climate change.