First electric semi-trailer truck
Winterthur, July 24 – Empty PET bottles in the greater Zurich and Aargau area will in future be collected with the first electric semi-trailer truck in this weight class. This pioneering achievement is the result of a collaboration between Flux Mobility AG and the transport and recycling company TRANS CYCLE and opens up new opportunities for both sides in emission-free transport.
The electric semi-trailer truck from Flux can save approx. 123 tons of CO2 over 10 years compared to a diesel vehicle. This corresponds to over 500 flights from Zurich to Barcelona (40,000 km per year, 200 operating days and 70% urban traffic). The use of electric vehicles pays off particularly in this area, as they offer a large loading volume of approx. 24,000 bottles and at the same time only require a low payload.
In the summer of 2024, the Flux semi-trailer truck was handed over to TRANS CYCLE. The vehicle was developed in Winterthur (Switzerland) and completed with the trailer in Rohrbach (Switzerland). "At Trans Cycle, we already place great emphasis on using vehicles with low emission values. With the first electric semi-trailer truck from Flux, we are now setting new standards. Thanks to intelligent tour management, the vehicle covers around 40,000 kilometers every year and avoids unnecessary routes and downtimes," says Urs Frey, CEO of TRANS CYCLE.
The Flux semi-trailer truck with twin tires on the rear axle and full air suspension has a gross combination weight of up to 8.5t. The electric rear-wheel drive eliminates the need for additional weights, which are often required in diesel vehicles due to the adhesive forces. Despite its weight, the vehicle can be driven in Switzerland with a BE license. It is also optionally available with a fully electric all-wheel drive, which Flux Mobility is the only supplier on the market able to implement. "With TRANS CYCLE, we have found the ideal project partner to drive forward the Swiss PET recycling cycle with the first electric semi-trailer truck. Developing a new vehicle concept that is both ecologically and technically convincing has given us a great deal of pleasure," says Severin Ganz, Head of Marketing and Sales at Flux Mobility.
PET recycling in Switzerland saves 126,000 tons of greenhouse gases every year. The recycling rate is around 83%, which corresponds to around 34,748 tons of recycled PET bottles. "I was very happy to be able to drive the first electric semi-trailer truck - even though I was initially unsure what impact this would have on my daily work. But from the very first journey, I felt right at home," says Bojan Milanovic, driver at TRANS CYCLE.
Empty PET bottles can be handed in at over 60,000 collection points in Switzerland. If the bottles are squeezed before transport, this saves space and conserves resources. In order to achieve the high degree of purity of almost 100 percent, only PET beverage bottles may be included in the collection. After sorting, the PET beverage bottles are taken to one of the three sorting centers in Switzerland. There, they are shredded into so-called PET flakes and separated from the lids and labels in a water bath. The flakes are then processed in a multi-stage process into food-grade recycled PET. The resulting R-PET meets the highest safety and hygiene requirements of the Federal Office for Food Safety (BLV). The R-PET blanks, the preforms, are delivered from the recycling company back to the bottle manufacturers. Preforms are smaller than the bottles produced from them. This means that the number of transports can be significantly reduced. In the filling plant, the preforms are inflated to the individual bottle shape and refilled.
Flux Mobility AG, founded in April 2021 and based in Winterthur (Switzerland), develops high-quality light commercial vehicles with innovative, emission-free drive technologies. Special vehicles are also produced. The basis is a flexible platform concept that allows the one-to-one replacement of diesel vehicles. Flux is thus taking on a key pioneering role in the sustainable transformation of industrial mobility and supporting companies in harnessing the potential of electromobility. Flux Mobility's customers include several of Switzerland's largest municipal utilities and initial operations in Germany.
TRANS CYCLE Transport- und Recycling AG was founded in Zurich in 1992 and is a leader in the field of PET collection and container logistics. Today, TRANS CYCLE offers innovative transport solutions in recycling and is regarded as an all-round provider in the transport industry.
