Power to go
If you want to travel to Zermatt, the glamorous village high in the Swiss Alps, you can only cover the last few kilometres by train or electric taxi. Zermatt is a no-car zone. This helps to preserve the clean mountain air. Only small, electricpowered vans or shuttle buses drive through the narrow streets.
Noiseless and emissions-free LTC 1050-3.1E in Zermatt
However, if you hear a combustion engine, it is almost always a construction machine that’s being used. This is still permitted in Zermatt – due to a lack of alternatives. However, when a temporary school was dismantled in the autumn, no engine noise could be heard from the crane used to do it. The project was executed by Clausen Kran AG with its new, electric-powered LTC 1050-3.1E compact crane from Liebherr.
Innovative: Cornelia Clausen-Ogi and Geri Clausen in front of their electric-powered compact crane.
“We became interested in the electric-powered crane early on and eventually replaced our LTC 1050-3.1, which was only five years old, with the E-LTC. We wanted to work in a way that was as environmentally friendly as possible and also offer our customers emissions-free crane work. We often work in the car-free communities of Zermatt and Saas-Fee, and the electric crane is of course also ideal for indoor use.” Geri Clausen tells us the story. Together with his wife, he runs the company specialising in transport and crane work. He is standing right next to his new LTC 1050-3.1E, which is loading one of the many containers onto the waiting transport vehicle. The electric motor hums quietly and the crane’s hydraulic pumps can only be heard softly. No comparison to the usual background noise of a construction machine. The energy source for this application is located a few metres away: a large battery storage unit that feeds the crane via an output of 125 amps. The compact crane takes the two-axle trailer with the Liduro Power Port LPO 100 in tow on the rear coupling for every job.
A single location was enough for the LTC 1050-3.1E to lift all the containers. “Thanks to VarioBase®, I didn’t have to move the crane,” explains crane operator Daniel Stadelmann. “With large boom radii over the supports, the crane lifts 800 kilograms more than without the control program.”
“We had the trailer for the Liduro made to measure in Switzerland according to our ideas,” explains Geri Clausen. “The battery storage unit is secured with Twist-Lock quick-release fasteners and can therefore be parked separately or loaded onto a lorry if required.” The trailer is very easy to manoeuvre via remote control. “For me, this was essential for this procurement. As only one of our employees usually goes to the construction site with the E-LTC, moving the trailer, which weighs over three tonnes, is out of the question. So we had this self-driving trailer built. If the crane has to be moved or the storage tank is in the way, our driver can move the Liduro easily and without outside help.” As with large caravans, this works via a mover, i.e. an electric manoeuvring aid in the form of rollers attached to the tyres.
“I’m a complete fan of electric”: Daniel Stadelmann starts up the battery storage system early in the morning. “The peace and quiet while working is simply brilliant.”
“You hear valves you’ve never heard before”
“But I often just leave the Liduro on the rear coupling of my crane,” explains Daniel Stadelmann. “At least whenever the conditions on the construction site allow it.” He has worked at Clausen for many years and has already controlled the predecessor LTC. He has already grown fond of his new machine after just a few weeks. “I’ve since become a true fan of electric,” says the experienced crane operator. “The quiet makes working much more pleasant.
Easy: Geri Clausen’s mobile phone shows him the Liduro parameters in real time.
And you suddenly hear valves you’ve never heard before,” he reports, excitedly. “I can also move the crane with greater precision in electric mode.” Geri Clausen adds: “Similar to an electric car, the full power is available immediately. Even under maximum load. When we luff up the telescopic boom and raise and swivel the load at the same time, the full power is available straight away – without the delay that occurs with a diesel engine. We don’t experience any drops in performance. In 125-ampere mode, the crane provides us with exactly 100 per cent of the power as when operating with a combustion engine.”
Geri Clausen moves the 3-tonne trailer with the battery pack around the construction site by remote control.
The battery storage system is not only charged on construction sites, where three-phase current is often available. The roof of the Clausen Kran AG depot in Gamsen is home to a large photovoltaic system. “Here, we charge our cranes using our own electricity whenever we can. When the sun is shining, the battery is 90 per cent full after just four hours,” explains Geri. “We also get multiple benefits from the storage device: during a recent power outage, we connected our mains to the Liduro and after just five minutes our workshop was supplied with power again.”
But back to Zermatt. The municipal administration, represented by René Frauchiger, also showed interest in the project. During a visit to the construction site, Frauchiger, who is responsible for the municipality’s properties, was able to inspect the crane’s emission-free work. “The low-noise, emissions-free operation is a major benefit for everyone. I personally think it’s absolutely fantastic.”
Safety aspect “: The elevating cabin gives me the best view of the construction site. And its air-conditioning system is brilliant!”
Innovative with an “E”
Cornelia Clausen-Ogi and her husband can imagine adding more electric-powered cranes to their fleet. Emissionfree crane work is currently a unique selling point on the market. The entrepreneur has even designed her own logo for her e-machines and had the term “ENNOVATIV” trademarked. “The Liduro and the E-LTC already have the new paintwork. We have supplemented the predominant red colour on our equipment with white. The ‘E’ in the company name is also blue now.” Blue like the clean sky over Zermatt.
This article was published in the UpLoad magazine 01 | 2026.
