4QT Revolutionizes Construction with Hybrid Tech

4QT Revolutionizes Construction with Hybrid Tech

The ETH spin-off aims to make heavy construction machinery more efficient and fuel-saving with an intelligent hybrid drive.

On the former apron in front of the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich (IPZ) pavilion, a yellow dumper is making its rounds. One of those machineries you see daily on countless construction sites. But this is not the start of expansion work for the Innovation Park; it's a customer demonstration for construction companies. The dumper, weighing three and a half tons with a possible load capacity of four and a half tons, is powered by a hybrid drive. It was developed by 4QT, a spin-off from ETH Zurich.

“The construction industry urgently needs innovation,” says Christoph Lang, CCO/COO and co-founder of 4QT. “Construction machinery emits more than three gigatons of CO₂ per year. That’s more than India, the world’s third-largest emitter.” To reduce these emissions, construction companies must now meet strict requirements when working on public sector projects. Otherwise, they face penalties.

4QT now offers a solution that can save 30 to 50 percent of fuel costs and CO₂ emissions from construction machinery. Over the past four years, the engineers have developed a drive system that meets the extreme performance demands of construction work. After close development collaboration with several construction companies and machine manufacturers, serial production is now imminent.

Even though much development work has already been done, further improvement remains a central focus: “We are constantly looking for engineers because we want to become even more efficient and cost-effective,” says Lang. After a year and a half at Büro Züri Innovationspark at IPZ, they feel at home: “This is where we belong.”