The Zug-based cement manufacturer Holcim is supplementing its fleet of electric vehicles with the addition of a fully electric truck from Hugelshofer Logistik, a company based in the St.GallenBodenseeArea. In so doing, the construction materials manufacturer is now focusing on electrification in the area of cement transportation, further details of which can be found in a press release.
The Holcim Group explains in the press release that it plans to convert around one third of its trucks to emissions-free technology by 2030. Holcim Switzerland’s new all-electric Volvo represents a “global start” and will be used to cover routes to concrete plants in Switzerland that cannot be reached by train. As far as possible, Holcim attempts to deliver its products via the railways. At present, the company carries out roughly 30 percent of its deliveries in this way.
From now on, the new electric truck will supply concrete plants in the Lake Constance region. Hugelshofer Logistik will be responsible for handling these journeys. The first customer will be Möckli Beton, a company that produces recycled concrete in Eschenz in the canton of Thurgau. “As such, we are delighted to now receive environmentally friendly cement deliveries from Holcim by electric truck”, comments Chris Möckli, owner of Möckli Beton AG, in the press release.
Compared with diesel-powered alternatives, the Volvo FH4x2 series model electric truck saves up to 80 tons of CO2, a greenhouse gas that is harmful to the environment. It has a range of 300 kilometers and can be quickly charged within the space of 90 minutes.
Holcim has also been using electric truck mixers for two years. This move laid the foundations for more environmentally friendly concrete transport. In the gravel sector, too, Holcim is looking for “sustainable mobility solutions” and “is working flat out to convert vehicles and machines to electric drive systems”, the company explains in the press release.
