Mosolf: Launch of the first electric car transporters

According to its own statements, the Mosolf Group aims to drive the transformation of its truck fleet towards CO2-free drive technologies. On May 23, 2023, the first three fully electric car transporters and the charging infrastructures were put into operation at the Düsseldorf site – in the presence of Oliver Krischer, Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Transport of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The vehicles were developed and built by Swiss Designwerk Technologies AG in cooperation with Kässbohrer Transport Technik GmbH, the company reports, and are intended to take over the inner-city shuttle traffic between the Mercedes-Benz Vans plant and the Düsseldorf Rhine port.

According to the manufacturer, the trucks can travel up to 280 kilometers on a single charge. According to Mosolf, they are charged exclusively with green electricity. The necessary infrastructure was built by Austrian Smatrics GmbH & Co KG.

A cooperation with the Mercedes-Benz Vans plant in Düsseldorf has existed for decades. This began with the transport of approximately 3,000 Sprinters per year to the Düsseldorf Rhine port, where the vehicles are loaded onto inland vessels and transported via the Rhine to the export ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp.

As a result of the increased order volume, the multimodal transport concept has been continuously expanded. The Mosolf inland shipping fleet is complemented by the RoRo inland vessels Terra and the hybrid-powered Terra 2, which are chartered by the shipping company F. Elbert B.V.

The shift of transport from road to water in conjunction with hybrid drive systems not only contributes to reducing CO2 emissions, but also allows transport to be carried out on Sundays and holidays via the waterway. Thus, a shipping volume of approximately 30,000 Sprinters per year is possible.

"Within two years, we have managed to implement the idea of emission- and noise-free fully electric car transporters, thereby paving the way for emission-free and low-noise truck shuttle traffic in the city area of Düsseldorf," said Dr. Jörg Mosolf, Chairman of the Mosolf Group, adding, "This perfectly complements the efficient inland vessel concept."

What does this mean?

Car transport is also becoming increasingly electric. Fully electric trucks are especially suitable for calculable, not-too-long routes.