The transport service providers Galliker Transport and Friderici Special, the construction machinery rental company Avesco Rent and Futuricum, the Designwerk Group's e-truck brand, 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 came about thanks to the four pioneers' commitment 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 delighted: "We have reached a milestone with the completion and presentation of these vehicles. Thanks to the installation of 900 kWh battery capacity, we are increasing the operating radius in the logistics sector and enabling particularly energy-intensive applications such as heavy and special transports."
An exemption order from the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) was required for the all-electric tractor units to operate on the roads. This approved the construction and use of vehicle models with an additional length of one meter and an increased payload of two tons.
Galliker on the road with medicines or foodstuffs
The tractor unit has a range of up to 500 kilometers. "This puts them on a par with diesel vehicles," says Peter Galliker, CEO & co-owner of the Galliker family business. Together with his brother Rolf Galliker (CEO & co-owner), he has driven the development forward. "It is important to us to always be one step ahead when it comes to sustainable innovations," says Rolf Galliker. He did not miss the opportunity to experience the performance of the new tractor unit for himself at the wheel on a mountain pass. His conclusion: "Futuricum has done a great job, the new e-truck meets our high standards in every respect." The family business from Altishofen LU uses the truck to transport food and medicines. "Incidentally, the refrigerated trailer unit used for this is powered by electricity, just like the vehicle itself. The electricity required for this is generated by an axle-integrated dynamo and is therefore 100% CO2-neutral," adds Peter Galliker. Three more electric trucks have already been ordered from Futuricum by Galliker. One of them will be on the road as a car transporter for the transportation of new and used cars in Switzerland from 2022 - another first.
Green Logistics by Galliker
The keys to a CO2-neutral truck were handed over at the Swiss Museum of Transport a year ago. 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. The investment in future-oriented drive systems is of great importance to Galliker. "We want to move forward step by step so that our entire fleet is CO2-neutral by 2050," says Peter Galliker. The CEO emphasizes that this is not just lip service. Rather, it is set out in writing in the promise that Galliker made as part of the "Green Logistics by Galliker" strategy. To this end, a support association has also been set up to help cover the additional costs for the new ecological technologies. Its members include customers and suppliers. They support the sustainability projects of Galliker on a voluntary basis. Amounts that they pay into the association are doubled by the family business. 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 family business Galliker that invest in technological progress," says the head of the Department of Construction, Environment and Economic Affairs: "With sustainable pioneering achievements such as the e-truck, they are making an important contribution to achieving our climate targets."
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 flagship project aimed at developing and building economical and ecological 26-tonne e-trucks. The company's core competencies enable the electrification of a wide range of vehicle superstructures and conversions. Futuricum thus offers individual solutions in the areas of recycling logistics, distribution logistics, intralogistics, construction logistics, agricultural and forestry logistics and other transportation.
