Land transport Road freight transport
Gebrüder Weiss is pursuing a clear strategy to reduce CO 2 emissions in land transport. This includes gradually expand- ing our European vehicle fleet with alternative drive systems and increasingly shifting transport services to the railroads. In addition, we are investing in the use of HVO100 – an alterna - tive fuel that we are using as a bridging technology in order to operate our existing fleets in a more climate-friendly way in the immediate future. A total of 14 electric trucks of the N3 vehicle category (> 12 tonnes) and three electric shunting vehicles will be put into service in Austria by 2025. In parallel with this, we are install- ing powerful fast charging infrastructure at our locations. Other low-emission vehicles are already in use in Central and Eastern Europe today – especially in the area of last-mile delivery, general cargo shipments and regular shipping and distribution services. The vehicle fleet of Gebrüder Weiss cur - rently comprises 403 vehicles and uses the following alterna- tive technologies:
ability of alternative vehicles and long delivery times present additional hurdles.
The Orange Combi Cargo (OCC) has operated as a unit train between Vienna and Bludenz for more than one and a half de - cades. Since it was introduced in 2008, this resource-efficient service has already saved more than 225,000 truck journeys on Austriaʼs roads. Another flagship in the rail activities of Gebrüder Weiss is the container terminal of the Tyrolean road-rail transship- ment company TSSU (Tiroler Straße-Schiene-Umschlag- gesellschaft mbH). For a quarter of a century, the container terminal located in Hall in Tyrol has served not only as an important transshipment terminal, but also as a rail freight forwarder for products carried by train in intermodal transport between Scandinavia and Italy as well as for traffic connec - tions within Austria. Our East Plus competence center and our intermodal team in China plan intercontinental rail shipments far beyond Europe’s borders. The transport services to and from China running through Central Asia along the New Silk Road are an attrac- tive alternative to air or sea freight between Europe and the Far East. Gebrüder Weiss offers its customers numerous attractive options for transporting goods by rail. Our rail experts design solutions that are tailored to the individual requirements of our customers and that can also include pre-carriage and on-carriage.
Gebrüder Weiss therefore follows an approach that is open to various technologies. In addition to electric and hydrogen drive systems, we use HVO100 (hydrotreated vegetable oil), a synthetic diesel fuel made from plant waste that can reduce emissions by up to 90 percent. In Austria, 30 percent of the company’s vehicle fleet already uses this bridging technology. The extensive Europe-wide availability of HVO100 for heavy goods vehicle traffic is not yet assured, however. The success of this sustainable transformation is based on a cooperative partnership. Central business divisions and spe- cialist operating departments are working closely together with authorities, special interest groups and manufacturers and infrastructure partners to design transport logistics that are fit for the future. Rail freight transport Gebrüder Weiss has organized efficient and sustainable rail transportation for customers from the most varied of industrial sectors for many years. Based in Maria Lanzendorf near Vi - enna, Gebrüder Weiss Rail Cargo, as a rail freight forwarder, focuses on the chartering of freight cars. At peak times, 1.5 million tonnes of goods are transported in 160 unit trains each month.
Hydrogen ― 1 hydrogen truck in Switzerland
Electric drives ― 2 electric trucks in Germany ― 1 electric truck in Austria ― 1 electric delivery van in Austria and 1 in Germany
― 20 electric delivery vans in Hungary ― 3 electric delivery vans in Croatia
The switch to low-emission technologies comes with chal- lenges. Electric trucks are currently around three times more expensive than their diesel counterparts. Added to this are high investments in charging infrastructure, such as transform- ers, charging stations and structural modifications. Applying for government subsidies is a complex process, but essential if the transition is to be economically viable. The limited avail-
Economy
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