Team aims to scale highest volcano in solar-powered truck
The Peak Evolution team wants to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado in the Chilean Andes
16 October 2023 - 16:41
byMotor News Reporter
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The team aims to climb the 6,893m Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile.
Picture: SUPPLIED
A Swiss team aims to set a new world record by climbing the world’s highest volcano in a solar-powered truck.
The Peak Evolution team wants to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado in the Chilean Andes, the highest active volcano on earth at 6,893m, using a solar-powered truck specifically developed for the purpose.
Gebrüder Weiss, the team’s main sponsor and logistics partner, says never before 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, an international transport company with headquarters in Austria.
The solar-powered multipurpose vehicle has more traction capacity than an average 40-ton semi-truck and could be used especially in rough terrain. Gebrüder Weiss has sponsored a number of projects of this kind.
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.
“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 Koller.
The solar-powered truck has two electric motors with a 240kW output and a 200km range. Solar energy is harnessed by 42 m2 modules on the roof.
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 to disconnect the battery.
The team have not announced a date for the record attempt. The mission will be documented by award-winning Swiss filmmaker Claudio von Planta.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
TRUCKING
Team aims to scale highest volcano in solar-powered truck
The Peak Evolution team wants to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado in the Chilean Andes
A Swiss team aims to set a new world record by climbing the world’s highest volcano in a solar-powered truck.
The Peak Evolution team wants to conquer the summit of Ojos del Salado in the Chilean Andes, the highest active volcano on earth at 6,893m, using a solar-powered truck specifically developed for the purpose.
Gebrüder Weiss, the team’s main sponsor and logistics partner, says never before 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, an international transport company with headquarters in Austria.
The solar-powered multipurpose vehicle has more traction capacity than an average 40-ton semi-truck and could be used especially in rough terrain. Gebrüder Weiss has sponsored a number of projects of this kind.
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.
“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 Koller.
The solar-powered truck has two electric motors with a 240kW output and a 200km range. Solar energy is harnessed by 42 m2 modules on the roof.
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 to disconnect the battery.
The team have not announced a date for the record attempt. The mission will be documented by award-winning Swiss filmmaker Claudio von Planta.
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