Equipped for new drive systems

For its new garage in Aigle, Freiburg-based company Kolly Management SA not only applied sustainable construction, it also planned with foresight. In addition to the repair garage and metalworking department, the new garage for commercial vehicles is also equipped with an ATEX workshop for vehicles powered by gas, hydrogen and electricity.

The truck garage of Kolly Aigle SA, which is also perfectly equipped for work on vehicles with alternative drives. Source: Scania

A completely new garage for commercial vehicles only – also equipped to accommodate currently popular alternative drive systems such as CNG and LNG as well as hydrogen and electric: that’s still quite a rarity in Switzerland. Dominique Kolly, Director of Kolly Management SA, demonstrated great foresight with an investment that cost millions. He had a new garage built in Aigle (VD) on a 18,436-square-metre plot of land in an industrial estate, deliberately using state-of-the-art technology.

In future, Kolly Aigle SA will be able to maintain heavy and light commercial vehicles of all brands and generations – old, current and future – thanks to three modern and innovative areas (repair garage, metalworking department and ATEX workshop). Incidentally, the abbreviation ATEX stands for the French term “ATmosphères EXplosibles”: here, special requirements apply for explosion protection which have to be observed when repairing hydrogen or CNG trucks.

Dominique Kolly, director of Kolly Management SA, assumes that the company will not rely solely on diesel power for its trucks, as it has in the past, but that technology openness will prevail in ten years’ time. Source: Scania

“The garages in Aigle are complemented with a large warehouse containing Scania and Iveco spare parts, as well as two diagnostic tunnels and two vehicle wash facilities. An energy and charging station is also available that is even prepared for future fuels and power sources. It currently offers diesel, Ad-Blue and AC and DC electric charging options,” explains Dominique Kolly. “Hydrogen and LNG could complement this energy mix in the future.”

In the construction of the new site, attention was paid to ensuring the greatest possible sustainability. The water used for the washing facilities consists of 95% soiled water treated on site, while thermal solar panels are used heat the water used for washing. In addition, the building covers an area of more than 2,000 square metres and is equipped with solar cells that generate 448,000 kWh per year.

Diesel trucks will be replaced by vehicles with alternative drive systems. Source: Scania

Mr. Kolly, an investment of 15 million francs in a new commercial vehicle centre in Aigle – why here?
Dominique Kolly, Director of Kolly Management SA: Chablais is located on an important motorway axis, the A9. The dynamic development of this region and the opportunities it offers in terms of attracting craft trades and industry make it an exciting area that we’d like to support in terms of mobility. We’ll also be able to continue to offer our services to our loyal customers in Chablais. After all, Michel Longet ran a garage here for over 30 years. In 2018, our Group then acquired the Longet Poids Lourds garage in Rennaz. Their premises were very well located, but they were also old and too small – and we were the tenants. Together with the two brands Iveco and Scania, which we represent, we searched for suitable sites in the region and found what we were looking for.

What challenges did the new alternative truck drive systems such as CNG, LNG and H₂, confront you with when it came to building the new facilities?
In order to maintain and repair these vehicles, the workshops, facilities and equipment have to meet very high safety standards. So we decided to build a new centre and at the same time set up a separate garage for these vehicles. We got the support of a specialised engineering firm here. That’s why we now own a 300-square-metre ATEX workshop that is ventilated, controlled by probes, has an antistatic floor and is fitted with a complete ex-proof electrical installation.

The ATEX workshop meets special requirements regarding explosion protection, so that even complicated repairs on hydrogen or CNG trucks can be carried out here without any problems. Source: Scania

Trucks with CNG and LNG engines are currently booming in many countries. Why are shipping agents opting for this alternative to diesel and what are its advantages?
The focus is on two aspects: the environmental aspect with a significant CO₂ reduction of 15% and a lower fuel price, although the price can fluctuate very quickly and intensively, as we have seen recently.

How do you guarantee that your employees will be fit to handle the new technologies?
We’ve always invested heavily in basic training: ten apprentices are currently being trained at our two sites, for example. We also attach great importance to continuing education and appreciate the outstanding quality of the AGVS training in Switzerland and the brand courses. What is more, we try to be innovative in terms of our Group, our services and our products. All of this helps motivate our teams: they enjoy further training and love this kind of challenge. The best evidence of this is the fact that our team at Le Mouret finished first in the top team competition at Scania Switzerland, and the Aigle team rounded off the podium placements with third place out of a total of 21 participating garages from all over Switzerland.

A truck front as a gift for the opening of the showcase workshop: (from left to right) Ted Kenel (Scania Aftersales Director), Dominique Kolly (Director of Kolly Management SA), Francesco Romano (Managing Director of Scania Switzerland) and Scania Sales Director Stephan Oberli. Source: Scania

What do you think the powertrain mix in freight transport will look like in ten years’ time and why?
I wish I was clairvoyant and could answer that question with confidence. In my humble opinion, which is not based on the short-term vision of politicians who see electromobility as the only solution, I believe that hydrogen with fuel cells will also have a key role to play alongside battery-powered electric vehicles. The internal combustion engine still has great potential, whether powered by diesel, gas or hydrogen. And we haven’t even mentioned synthetic fuels yet! Recently we’ve seen that domestic political and geopolitical factors can have a huge impact on trends in the powertrain mix. One thing I am sure of is that we will no longer have a monopolistic energy source, as we did in the past: it’ll be a mix, but at the moment it’s impossible to filter out a dominant factor. (jas, 30 August 2022)