Sponsoring PEAK EVOLUTION
Three Swiss inventors and school friends have developed the «Terren», an electrically powered vehicle that runs exclusively on solar power. They aim to use the Terren to break the world altitude record for environmentally friendly cars by reaching the 6,893-metre-high Ojos del Salado in Chile.
PEAK EVOLUTION aims to develop an innovative electric multi-purpose vehicle for municipal services, agriculture and mining. With the founding of DDP Innovation GmbH in 2018 and the groundbreaking development of the TERREN drive system, specially developed for heavy off-road machinery, the dedicated team is blazing a new trail in electromobility. The PEAK EVOLUTION team is developing an innovative and sustainable agricultural vehicle that runs entirely on electric power. To prove its capabilities, the team plans to reach the highest altitude ever achieved by an electric car - the Nevado Ojos del Salado in Chile at an impressive 6,893 metres - and to do so entirely electrically!
ecovolta technologies in action
ecovolta is playing a key role as an innovation partner and sponsor of this challenging endeavour. Ecovolta is equipping the vehicle with the powerful evoTractionBattery, thus laying the foundations for a successful expedition together with the PEAK EVOLUTION team.
PEAK EVOLUTION has transformed the conventionally manufactured multi-purpose vehicle from Aebi Schmidt into a powerful electric vehicle with two 120 kW electric motors and a battery capacity of 90 kWh (scalable up to 120 kWh). The modifications for better traction and ground clearance make the vehicle a robust and efficient companion for demanding off-road use.
To Chile for the world record attempt
An adventurous journey from Switzerland to Chile is imminent! The team has set itself the goal of experiencing and proving the possibilities of electromobility in the off-road sector at first hand. The expedition starts in Switzerland at the end of September 2023 and leads to Chile, to the summit of the highest active volcano in the world. The start in Chile is planned for the beginning of December 2023, after the vehicle has been transported by ship.
Own record broken - world altitude record for electric vehicles
At the end of November, the Peak Evolution team set a new world altitude record for electric vehicles on the Ojos del Salado in Chile at 5950 metres above sea level. Powered by solar energy from their mobile solar power plant, they travelled 390 km from the Pacific coast near Puerto Viejo, CL, to a point around 120 metres above Camp Tejos on the Ojos del Salado volcano on the border between Chile and Argentina.
The team will attempt to break its record and beat the overall record for all vehicle types, 6'694 metres above sea level. This was set by two Mercedes Unimogs in 2019.
Own record broken
At the beginning of December, the Peak Evolution team improved their record from 5'd950 to 6'510 metres above sea level a week earlier with their electric vehicle «Terren» on the Ojos del Salado in Chile. Powered by solar energy from their mobile solar power plant, they covered 390 km from the Pacific coast near Puerto Viejo, CL, to just below the western summit of the Ojos del Salado volcano on the border between Chile and Argentina. The old record for any electric vehicle was 6,080 metres, set by an electric motorbike.
The day before, the Porsche team managed to reach the 6'740-metre high western summit with great effort and the help of cable winches, thus setting the record for all vehicles. In contrast to the Terren, the customised Porsche is not road-legal and was supervised by a 16-strong team. The Peak Evolution team is currently deliberating whether to make another attempt to equal Porsche's mark. So far, the six-strong team has refrained from using a winch or other aids.
The three Swiss engineers built the record-breaking «Terren» vehicle over the last two years with the active support of various partners. It is road-legal and weighs 5'700 kg with the expedition box. It is powered by two electric motors with 120 kW each. The energy is stored in a 90 kWh battery. A mobile solar system charges it with 10.7 KWp. Under the current conditions in Chile, it takes around ten hours to charge the battery, from 10 % to 100 %. The vehicle ranges around 120 kilometres on paved roads and around 70 kilometres on loose sand. The off-road capability results from the all-wheel drive with front, rear and centre differential lock, all-wheel steering, adjustable hydropneumatic suspension and extreme frame articulation. The Expedition Box contains a fully equipped kitchen with an induction hob, running water, refrigerator and other household appliances. It also includes spare parts, food, water and the mobile solar power plant, which consists of 28 panels with a surface area of 42 m2.
The expedition team consists of the three founders of «Terren Electric Drive Systems», David Koller, David Pröschel and Patrik Koller, and a three-person film team. The documentary film team has been following the project for three years. The film about the world record adventure is expected in 2024.
