A team of explorers – the Gebrüder Weiss Peak Evolution Team – followed through on successfully setting a new world altitude record for electric vehicles after driving an electric truck to an altitude of 6 500 m above sea level, mid-December.

The team drove up to the western ridge of Ojos del Salado, in Chile – the highest active volcano on Earth – in their 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,” says Peak Evolution CEO and developer Patrik Koller.

He adds that Peak Evolution hopes this success will attract more attention to alternative drive systems and their use in mining and other demanding transport tasks.

The vehicle due to be used in the latest attempt is based on a multipurpose truck by Aebi Schmidt, powered by two electric motors with a combined power of 380 hp and with 240 kW of torque.

Powering the truck are solar photovoltaic modules totalling 42 m², providing as much as 7.4 kW of output.

Logistics partner and main sponsor Gebrüder Weiss has been on board since the start, ensuring the vehicle arrived safely in South America and co-financing the innovative venture.

“As the oldest transport and logistics company, we are committed to the future of mobility,” says Gebrüder Weiss corporate brand strategy and communications head Frank Haas.

“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,” he says.

The project started two months ago, when Gebrüder Weiss transported the electric truck from Switzerland through Rotterdam and then by sea freight to Chile.

Another overland transport took the solar truck to the Atacama region, following which the Peak Evolution team started at the Maricunga salt lake with the first exploratory tours and acclimatisation on the mountain, at an elevation of 3 400 m.