Team Achieves New World Altitude Record for Electric Vehicles
Expedition hopes to attract more attention to alternative drives for mining & other transport tasks…
The Gebrüder Weiss Peak Evolution Team has set a new world altitude record for electric vehicles at 6,500 meters (21,325 feet) above sea level.
The team drove up to the western ridge of Ojos del Salado on the Argentina/Chile border—the highest active volcano on earth—in “Terren,” a truck powered exclusively by solar energy.
“This is a record not only for this technology, but for our years of research work and for the very future of mobility,” said Patrik Koller, CEO and developer at Peak Evolution. “We hope that this success will attract more attention to alternative drives and their use in mining and other demanding transport tasks.”
Logistics partner and main sponsor Gebrüder Weiss has been on board since the very beginning, co-financing the effort and ensuring the vehicle arrived safely in South America.
“As the oldest transport and logistics company, we are committed to the future of mobility,” says Frank Haas, head of corporate brand strategy & communications at Gebrüder Weiss. “This success underlines our ongoing support for sustainable mobility projects and innovative technologies. We are delighted for the team and will now bring the record-breaking vehicle safely back to Switzerland.”
The undertaking began two months ago when Gebrüder Weiss transported the EV from Switzerland via Rotterdam and then by sea freight to Chile. Another overland transport took the solar truck to the Atacama region.
The Peak Evolution team started at the Maricunga salt lake with the first exploratory tours and acclimatization on the mountain, at an elevation of 11,000 feet. The extreme terrain and environmental conditions of the world’s highest volcano not only put the high-tech vehicle to the test, but also put the team under extreme physical and mental strain.
“Despite these extreme conditions, our specially developed vehicle managed to drive higher than any other e-vehicle–let alone a solar-powered one,” says Patrik Koller, CEO, and developer at Peak Evolution. “We have been training for this moment for four years, so giving up was never an option.”
The three adventurers reached the first milestone at the end of November, breaking the record for EVs by surpassing the 19,000-foot barrier. One week later, they reached 21,325 feet above sea level—the record height of their mission.
