Sant Boi de Llobregat (Barcelona), May 6, 2021 — Àltima has just introduced its first fleet of fully electric, long-range vehicles. Aiming to exclusively use this clean energy, the company plans to renew its entire fleet, which includes funeral and commercial vehicles, cemetery transfer vans, and collection ambulances, over the next three years. Operating in the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, and Tarragona, Àltima is the first funeral service company in Catalonia to take this step, aligning with its strong commitment to sustainability and the environment.
According to Josep Ventura, General Director of Funeral Services at Àltima, "Our company's commitment to these types of vehicles is part of our global sustainability strategy. We are very aware of the need to act in the face of the climate emergency, and every effort we make for the benefit of the environment and people is important. This is a challenge we began over ten years ago with the acquisition of some electric models with limited range, and now we aim to consolidate with long-range units, at a time when the market offers vehicles with these capabilities."
In this initial phase of the plan, Àltima has acquired ten electric vehicles that are already operating at the funeral homes it manages in Baix Llobregat and Barcelonès. As a company providing an essential service to society, Àltima "wants to commit to minimizing the environmental impact of our activities in all the municipalities where we operate, benefiting society and the surrounding environment in general. All while maintaining the same quality of service for families, while being more sustainable," adds Josep Ventura.
Lumen and Atys: Àltima's New Electric Hearses
The two models of fully electric hearses acquired by Àltima are the Lumen and the Atys. The Lumen project, now coming to light, represents the third generation of electric hearses. It began development in 2019 through the collaboration between Àltima and Bergadana, based on the Nissan Leaf E+ model. It has a range of 385 kilometers and features a 62 kWh battery, including all driving aids.
Àltima has also chosen the Atys electric hearse, a dual-capacity vehicle developed from the new generation of Mercedes-Benz eVito 129 Tourer Pro vans. It has a range of 421 kilometers and a 90 kWh battery, also incorporating all driving aids. "Our goal is to have a 100% electric fleet of hearses for local services by 2024," says Jaume Echaurren, Operations and Purchasing Director at Àltima and project leader.
In addition to hearses, Àltima has started renewing its collection ambulances—also based on the Mercedes-Benz eVito 129 Tourer Pro model—vehicles for cemetery transfers developed from the e-Kangoo model with a 100 km range, and commercial vehicles from Renault’s Zoe 80 kW model with a 40 kWh battery and a 313 km range.
By the end of the fleet renewal plan in three years, Àltima will have a total of 70 electric units: 36 hearses, 10 collection ambulances, 3 cemetery service vehicles, and 21 commercial vehicles. These vehicles will be distributed across all the funeral homes and cemeteries in the regions where the company operates: Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Vallès Occidental, Bages, Garraf, Alt and Baix Penedès, Alt Camp, Alt Empordà, Ripollès, and Gironès.
A Network Renewal
To realize the project towards a 100% sustainable fleet, Àltima plans to install 70 charging points across its entire network of centers. The first funeral homes to have these charging facilities for the new electric vehicles are Sant Boi de Llobregat, Sant Joan Despí, and Hospitalet Ronda. As Jaume Echaurren notes, "Both the local fleet renewal and the addition of new charging points will be gradually implemented at each center." In fact, for the past ten years, Àltima has already had public charging points at its funeral home parking lots.
Moreover, considering that much of the electricity used to power the new fleet comes from renewable sources, "the environmental impact of this project is very clear: we reduce both CO2 emissions and noise pollution in all the communities where we operate."
Pioneers in Sustainable Vehicle Use
From the beginning, Àltima has been firmly committed to environmental protection and sustainability. In this regard, in 2009, it invested in the ION model, an electric hearse designed solely for internal use within cemeteries due to its limited range. Building on this initial experience, the company considered developing a unit specifically for funeral services, leading to the creation of the e-Moon in 2013, a model adapted to perform all functions of a hearse but with limited electric range (between 120 and 170 km).
Since then, Àltima has kept a close eye on market trends and the evolution of electric vehicles. "This is why we now have the first electric units with sufficient range (300 km) to perform daily local funeral services with full guarantees," clarifies Jaume Echaurren.