Double world premiere: Four Swiss pioneers present electric trucks with unique battery performance
Galliker Transport AG, Friderici Special, Avesco Rent and Futuricum present two fully electric tractor units, each with 900 kWh battery capacity. This is a world first "Engineered in Switzerland". With this, electric mobility reaches the heavy and special transport sector and sets a clear signal in the logistics industry.
The transport service providers Galliker Transport and Friderici Special, the construction machinery rental company Avesco Rent and Futuricum, the e-truck brand of the Designwerk Group, are presenting a double world premiere in transport logistics: two fully electric 40-tonne tractor units, each with a battery capacity of 900 kilowatt hours (kWh). This innovation has come about thanks to the commitment of the four pioneers to sustainability.
Premiere leads to competitive operating radius
The two electric tractor units have been completed and have left production in Winterthur for Galliker Transport and Friderici Special. The official handover to the two companies took place on Thursday at the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne. Adrian Melliger, Managing Director of the Designwerk Group, is pleased: "With the completion and presentation of these vehicles, we have reached a milestone. Thanks to the installation of 900 kWh battery capacity, we are increasing the radius of action in the logistics sector and enabling particularly energy-intensive applications such as in heavy and special transports."
In order for the all-electric tractor units to be able to operate on the roads, an exceptional ruling was required from the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO). This authorised the construction and use of vehicle models with an additional length of one metre and an increase in payload of two tonnes.
Galliker on the road with medicines or food
The tractor unit has a range of up to 500 kilometres. "This puts them on par with diesel vehicles," says Peter Galliker, CEO & co-owner of the Galliker family business. Together with his brother Rolf Galliker (VRP & co-owner), he has driven the development. "It is important to us to always be one step ahead in sustainable innovations," says Rolf Galliker. He did not miss the opportunity to convince himself of the performance of the new tractor unit while driving over a mountain pass. His conclusion: "Futuricum has done a good job, the new e-truck meets our high standards in all respects." At the family business from Altishofen LU, the truck is used to transport food and medicines. "By the way: the refrigeration unit of the trailer used for this purpose is powered by electric energy, just like the vehicle itself. The electricity required for this is generated by an axle-integrated dynamo and is thus 100% CO2-neutral," adds Peter Galliker. Currently, Galliker has already ordered three more electric trucks from Futuricum. One of them will be on the road from 2022 as a car transporter for transporting new and used cars in Switzerland - another first.
Green Logistics by Galliker
A year ago, the keys to a CO2-neutral truck were handed over at the Swiss Museum of Transport. At that time, Galliker and six other transport companies took delivery of the world's first hydrogen-powered trucks. The Galliker fleet now includes six of these, as well as seven two-axle electric trucks. Investing in future-oriented drive systems is of great importance to Galliker. "We want to move forward step by step in order to be CO2-neutral on the road with the entire fleet by 2050," says Peter Galliker. The CEO emphasises that this is not just lip service. Rather, it is set down in writing in the promise that Galliker made as part of the "Green Logistics by Galliker" strategy. A support association has also been set up to share the additional costs for the new ecological technologies. Customers and suppliers are members of this association. They support Galliker's sustainability projects on a voluntary basis. The amounts they pay into the association are doubled by the family-owned company. The transport and logistics company from Altishofen has received praise for its commitment from Lucerne cantonal councillor Fabian Peter, among others: "We need private companies like the Galliker family business that invest in technical progress," says the head of the Department of Construction, Environment and Economic Affairs: "With sustainable pioneering achievements like the e-truck, they make an important contribution to achieving our climate goals."
Futuricum: E-truck brand of the Designwerk Group
Futuricum, based in Winterthur, is a commercial vehicle brand of Designwerk Products AG. The brand originates from a lighthouse project that aimed to develop and build economical and ecological 26-tonne e-trucks. The company's core competencies allow for the electrification of a wide variety of vehicle superstructures as well as conversions. Futuricum thus offers individual solutions in the fields of recycling logistics, distribution logistics, intralogistics, construction logistics, agricultural and forestry logistics as well as other transports.
