Greenstyle is the Weisse Arena Group’s answer to global challenges such as climate change. The electrification of mobility plays a major role here. 

With 224 kilometres of pistes, four snow parks and five snowy descents into the valley, the Alpine destination of Flims-Laax in the Swiss Canton of Grisons is among the largest ski resorts in Switzerland. The versatile region offers a unique offering for winter holidays – for young and old, beginners, professionals and families. And it’s not just in the winter that the mountain region attracts a lot of visitors. In summer too, the mountains beckon with the Tschingelhorn mountains of the Sardona World Heritage site, Rheinschlucht gorge – also known as the Grand Canyon of Switzerland – lakes and a 330 km network of bike trails.

The Laax region has developed a plan to ensure that this region and all its natural splendour are preserved: “Greenstyle is our answer to global challenges and is how we are dealing with climate change and biodiversity. That’s why we have developed a seven-point plan to become the first energy self-sufficient mountain region in the world,” says Reto Fry, Environmental Officer for the Weisse Arena Group and the person responsible for the Greenstyle environmental and energy concept. The plan includes: Electrification of mobility with expansion of the charging infrastructure, energy storage, decarbonisation of the existing buildings, maximisation of energy efficiency, installation of solar panels on roofs and facades, expansion of power production through renewable energies and a destination-wide intelligent power supply. “We are very appreciative when our guests arrive in electric vehicles and therefore want to ensure that there are always sufficient charging options available,” Reto Fry continues. And that’s where the holiday destination relies on solutions from Juice Technology AG.

There were already charging stations in the underground car parks in the Laax region, but drivers of electric vehicles were dependent on having their own charging cable with them. “I was astonished that it was necessary to operate that way. The numerous RFID cards that you always had to have with you as the driver of an electric vehicle also made me frown. For me, it was clear that, when expanding the charging infrastructure, we at the very least needed to offer the option for our visitors to pay for their charging process by credit card. A flexible cable should also be available – just like at a conventional petrol station,” says Fry, when asked about the particular features that make perfect charging infrastructure in his opinion.

And so, during the course of his research and through recommendations, he landed on Juice Technology AG, whose charging solutions were the only ones that could meet all the requirements in full. Implementation began in 2018, and the charging stations were put into operation in 2019. Reto Fry expects that around 25 percent of guests will arrive by electric vehicle by 2025. That’s why the holiday destination has been striving very hard, together with the local network operator Flims Electric AG, to continuously expand the charging infrastructure in the region. “Juice was and is always a good and solution-oriented business partner here. If a few adjustments are required here and there, the Juice team are always there for us and are very enthusiastic. That’s why I’m also confident that our next goal, discounted payment through our own app, can also be successfully implemented.”