This electric truck reached an altitude of 6,500 meters!

Three Swiss individuals challenged themselves to conquer the summit of the world’s highest active volcano in a solar-powered electric truck.

The custom-built solar electric vehicle set a world record in Chile that could elevate electric mobility to new heights.

The Peak Evolution team was formed in Switzerland by Patrik and David Koller, accompanied by their childhood friend David Proeschel. All three have careers in automotive engineering and renewable energy. This fully electric versatile vehicle project originated in 2018 to try to bring their somewhat extreme vision of electric mobility to life.

The crazy project of these three visionaries? To take a solar-powered electric truck to the summit of Chilean volcano Ojos del Salado at an altitude of 6,893 meters.

The four-wheel drive and steer truck is powered by two electric motors delivering a combined power of 240 kW or 380 hp, and has a range of 200 km per charge. Slightly lightweight for such an adventure, which is why the truck is equipped with solar panels to recharge while climbing the volcano. These photovoltaic panels consist of 42 m² modules on the roof, along with mobile extensions on each side that provide a total power of 7.4 kWp.

The record-breaking journey began at the Maricunga salt lake, conducting the initial exploratory trips at 3,400 meters above sea level. The first milestone was reached at the end of November when Terren hit the 6,000-meter mark. A week later, he reached 6,500 meters. And yes, he used only solar energy throughout the entire journey.

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