On the occasion of its open day, Mercer Holz GmbH in Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Thuringia presented both of its new, fully-electric e-trucks which will take over a portion of the wood chip transport between the Mercer Timber Products sawmill in Friesau and the Mercer Rosenthal pulp mill.
The purchase of the e-trucks and infrastructure is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport under the guideline on the funding of light and heavy-duty commercial vehicles with alternative, climate-protecting drives and the associated refuelling and charging infrastructure (KsNI) in the amount of 1.03 million euros. Financing for this measure is also made available under the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP) via the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities (ARF) in the NextGenerationEU program. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and applications are approved by the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office.
Martin Stöhr, Managing Director of Mercer Holz GmbH: “We are delighted with the resounding response we received from presenting the innovative e-trucks. The open day demonstrated that interest in new technologies is huge. The e-trucks are an important step towards a more sustainable future and show that economic efficiency and climate protection can go hand in hand.”
In addition to Martin Stöhr, the managing director of the pulp mill, Dr. Christian Sörgel and mill manager Tobias Albert were especially pleased about the countless visitors, who came from far and wide. Even the Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Transport Ministry, Christian Hirte, accepted the invitation to Rosenthal and was impressed by the technological advances and opportunities created by using e-trucks. Martin Stöhr as well as Christian Hirte were able to experience firsthand what driving in an e-truck feels like.
Christian Hirte, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport: “The pioneering Mercer Holz company has begun the journey of advancing switching its fleet to emission-free drive systems. Every zero-emission truck that hits the road helps Germany to become climate neutral by 2045. The federal government will remain shoulder to shoulder with the transport sector in this endeavour.”
Another important step towards electric mobility will follow soon. Mercer Holz will officially start operation of its also KsNI-funded new charging columns with up to 300 kW capacity on its premises of Mercer Timber Products in Friesau. This investment in electric mobility secures the efficient use of vehicles and underscores the long-term focus on sustainable technologies. “The last of the construction work is currently taking place and we expect the commissioning of the charging columns to happen in June”, said Dominik Endres, project manager for the construction of charging infrastructure at Mercer Holz.
Mercer is thus reaffirming its commitment to sustainability and innovation. The integration of e-trucks in the logistics processes and the expansion of charging infrastructure are core components of the company strategy to make a contribution to climate protection and at the same time, increase efficiency and competitiveness.
About NOW GmbH
Since 2008, NOW GmbH has been supporting the federal government’s targets in its climate and industrial policy. The tasks of the federally-owned company include developing, monitoring and evaluating funding programmes about climate-neutral mobility and energy supply. NOW GmbH experts supervise projects in the areas of hydrogen, fuel cells, battery and renewable fuels. They reimagine mobility and fuels for cars, buses, trains, commercial vehicles, ships and airplanes, and support the establishment and further development of charging infrastructure and hydrogen refuelling stations for cars and trucks. More information on NOW can be found here.
Photo: Tino Peisker © 2025
