Transport company Gebrüder Weiss has dispatched a sophisticated solar-powered e-truck and expedition equipment to Chile, by sea freight, to help a team trying to reach the summit of the world’s highest volcano, Ojos del Salado.

Gebrüder Weiss is the team’s main sponsor and logistics partner, and if the team reaches the summit, this would be a new world record, as no vehicle in the world has ever climbed that high.

The truck will make a considerable contribution to the success of the project in Chilean Andes, where three men from Switzerland, forming the Peak Evolution Team, want to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado using the solar-powered truck specifically developed for this purpose.

At a height of 6 893 m, it is the highest active volcano on earth.

“Owing 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 Gebrüder Weiss corporate brand strategy and communications head Frank Haas.

He explains the solar-powered multipurpose vehicle has more traction capacity than an average 40 t semi-truck and could be used in rough terrain.

“Being the oldest logistics company in the world, we feel committed to helping shape the future of mobility,” explains Haas.

For nearly four years, the three Swiss developers, David Pröschel, and Patrik and David Koller, have been working on putting the multipurpose truck into practice.

By embarking on an expedition to a place that no vehicle has ever reached, they want to prove the efficiency of alternative drive technologies, the press release reads.

“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 is going to show the commercial viability of the product we developed,” says Peak Evolution Team finance head and co-developer Patrik Koller.

He adds that in Gebrüder Weiss, the team has gained a partner who shares their vision of sustainable mobility and, as an international transport company, will also be able to benefit from it in practical terms in the future.

The transport requires comprehensive expertise and flexibility. As 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 team to disconnect the battery.

In addition, extensive documentation attests that the team and equipment meet the strict safety and customs requirements while at sea and in the country of destination.