4QT electrifies heavy construction machinery

The ETH spin-off develops a modular drive platform that electrifies and automates heavy machinery in construction, mining and agriculture.

Heavy machinery shares the same unsolved problem: it runs on diesel, is difficult to automate, and replacing it costs millions. This is exactly where 4QT comes in. The ETH spin-off has developed the Drive Core, a modular drive platform that can be installed in existing machines without altering the machine itself. This makes it possible to electrify vehicles, equip them for autonomous operation, and at the same time keep them open to future energy sources.

"The construction industry urgently needs innovation," says Christoph Lang, CCO and co-founder of 4QT. "Construction machinery emits more than three gigatons of CO₂ every year. That's more than India, the world's third-largest emitter." The Drive Core makes it possible to save up to 50 percent of fuel costs and CO₂ emissions. Together with the Swiss construction company WALO Bertschinger, 4QT built the world's first fully electrified 8-ton dump truck. The Drive Core has already been deployed on numerous Swiss construction sites and is set to be used in the future in defense, mining, agriculture, and space as well.

After two and a half years at Innovation Park Zurich, the team feels right at home: "This is where we belong."