»Solar truck« to conquer highest volcano on earth

For almost four years, the three Swiss developers David Pröschel, Patrik and David Koller of »Team Peak Evolution« have been working on a »solar truck« that is now to climb the 6,893-meter summit of the Ojos del Salado volcano in Chile. According to the team, the truck will be »powered by solar energy« in the expedition area. The vehicle is equipped with solar modules with a maximum power of 10.7 kilowatts (kW), some of which are permanently mounted and some are designed to be laid out. According to the team, »this means that a range of around 150 km can be generated in 5 hours« – which is a more than optimistic figure, especially when driving off-road, driven by two 120 kW electric motors.
The logistics company Gebrüder Weiss Gesellschaft m.b.H. from Lauterach, Austria, is supporting the team as the main sponsor and logistics partner by transporting the vehicle and the entire expedition equipment to Chile by sea freight. Since vehicles with electric drives are considered dangerous goods, Gebrüder Weiss developed a double container floor that secures the expedition body and allows to disconnect the battery.
The experimental vehicle »cannot yet replace a conventional truck« due to its limited payload capacity, »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. He adds that the vehicle has a higher tractive force than an average 40-ton semitrailer tractor and can be used primarily in rough terrain.
If the team reaches the summit, it would be a new world record. Never before has a vehicle reached such heights.
© PHOTON