Zgraggen and Designwerk put the first all-electric milk collection vehicle on the road

August 21, 2023 – Designwerk delivers the first all-electric milk collection vehicle to Zgraggen Transport. Thanks to the electric truck for milk collection, around 93 t of CO2 can be saved annually, making milk collection in the canton of Uri locally emission-free. The two companies are making sure that another application is climate-friendly.

Recently, there has been a novelty on Swiss roads – an all-electric milk collection vehicle. The vehicle comes from Winterthur-based electromobility specialist Designwerk Technologies AG. The MID CAB tanker 6x2R 510E is used by Zgraggen Transport AG for milk collection in the canton of Uri. “By using the first electric milk collector in Switzerland, we are setting an example. This allows us to operate locally without emissions and make an important contribution to low-emission mobility,” says Elias Zgraggen, Managing Director of Zgraggen Transport. By not using diesel, Zgraggen can save around 93 t of CO2 per year.

The technical details of the e-milk cart are unique on the market to date. The lightweight, fixed-tooth drive train comes into its own in a weight-critical application such as milk collection. With 510 kilowatt hours of battery capacity, the vehicle offers a range of between 250 and 300 kilometers. The complete superstructure is also electrically powered. Thus, the entire operation runs locally emission-free and barely audible. The continuously variable 1-speed transmission, in conjunction with the recuperation pedal, which is also continuously variable, allows easy handling and efficient and sensitive maneuvering in both urban and alpine environments.

Another special application in the commercial vehicle sector finds its way onto the road
The all-electric milk collector has been in operation for a few weeks and covers a distance of around 330 kilometers every day, which always ends with the return journey from the milk collection station at the Emmi company in Dagmersellen or Emmen. This corresponds to an annual performance of approximately 120,000 kilometers. This is the third e-truck from Designwerk that Zgraggen Transport has put into operation, in addition to the two existing HIGH CAB Semi 6x2T semitrailers, each with 900 kWh battery capacity. The vehicles can be recharged directly at the company site in Schattdorf after their missions. The company produces the electricity for the battery-powered vehicles itself with its own solar power and wood gasification plant.

With the commissioning of the electric milk collection vehicle, the two companies are ensuring locally emission-free journeys in another special application. The flexibility in the placement of the high-voltage batteries in Designwerk vehicles guarantees many more applications of this type.