In the middle of Lower Saxony’s Wadden Sea lies Norderney — a sea that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009. The East Frisian island is a climatic health resort and spa. That’s why freight forwarder Georg Fischer has recently turned to electromobility. A native of Norderney, he is the fourth generation of his family to run the island haulage company “Johann Fischer”. His fleet includes 35 MAN vehicles — among them several semitrailer tractors and, since about a quarter of a year, three MAN eTGEs. With the electrically powered transporters, he wants to set an example. Holidaymakers are very nature-conscious, he says, and Norderney is known throughout Germany.He is one of the first companies on the North Sea island to switch to electric mobility.
“If we set a good example here, that radiates out.”
- Georg Fischer
Vehicle fleet for transporting goods on the islands
Georg Fischer is a “reception forwarder” for Norderney and the other East Frisian islands. Its core business is distribution services along the North Sea coast. He operates a large warehouse in the town of Norden, where the other forwarders unload their goods, and delivers them to the ferries six days a week with his own vehicles. He also travels for grocery and drug store chains. He picks up the goods from their central warehouses and then transports them to the stores on the islands. He even transports building materials with his fleet of vehicles specially tailored to the island. 85 employees are on the road for him and active in the warehouses in Norden and on Norderney.
Delivery service to the hotel
Since larger trucks are allowed to cross the island by ferry but are not allowed to drive across the island, the freight forwarder handles the goods directly in the warehouse at Norderney harbor. From the articulated trucks, they are loaded onto smaller vehicles — including the battery-electric transporters that take drinks, food and parcels from the warehouse through the narrow alleyways to the hotels, guesthouses and stores. The suitcases of the vacation guests are also delivered directly to the vacation domicile by the electric transporters.
For Georg Fischer, the three vehicles are an ideal addition to its fleet. The range of up to 130 kilometers is absolutely sufficient for the distances on the island. Often, one battery charge is enough for two full days of work. The three vehicles are charged at wallboxes directly at the warehouse. The eTGEs are quiet and hardly disturb the tourists who are looking for peace and quiet on Norderney, says Georg Fischer. He is also convinced of the driving comfort: “You quickly get used to the electric drive. After all, an all-electric van like this has no gearshift and delivers full power to the axle.” In addition, he says, the eTGEs offer the comfort he has been used to for many years. “I am absolutely convinced of the quality of my vehicles, the workmanship, the reliability — nothing squeaks or creaks,” he says.
