Range Energy’s electric trailer can improve semi-truck mpg by 36%
Range Energy’s electric trailer, which can “electrify” a diesel semi truck just by adding a trailer, has been found to improve efficiency by 36% in independent testing.
We covered Range Energy’s trailer back in May when we saw it at ACT Expo, the largest expo for advanced fleets.
As a quick refresher, the basic idea is that the trailer has a battery and motors in it and can sense acceleration through the trailer’s kingpin. When the tractor pulls forward, the motors kick in to help carry the load, meaning the tractor doesn’t have to do as much pulling.
This means that a truck can be “electrified” without having to modify the truck at all – just attach a Range trailer with built-in electric propulsion and you’ve effectively turned a diesel tractor into a plug-in hybrid of sorts. Or, attach it to an electric tractor and you can extend range as well.
We had a demo of a dummy trailer at ACT Expo and frankly, it was the coolest demo I’ve ever had at a media event. I went from having a hard time pulling the trailer to being able to do it with one finger, and it was responsive enough that I really just felt like Superman.
Now, Range has undergone independent testing on its trailer to validate its efficiency claims, finding a 36% improvement (+3.25mpg, based on a 9mpg baseline). This was done on a 25-mile urban/high loop at 60mph top speeds and approximately 59k gross vehicle weight (so about half of the maximum trailer weight).
Testing was done by Mesilla Valley Transportation Solutions, a fuel economy consultant for the trucking industry which has validated many technologies, most of which give single-digit percent efficiency gains.
So, 36% is a pretty huge improvement compared to all of those. Which makes sense – none of the other technologies tested provide their own propulsion, just aerodynamic improvements.
“We were impressed with the Range trailer. Whether a fleet wants to reduce fuel usage or increase BEV range, this system provides unique opportunities over a traditional trailer – and by a large amount when considering it achieved 36.3% fuel savings. Our drivers also liked the Range trailer; reporting it pulled easier and felt lighter. Naturally, there is a trade-off with electric charging and additional weight so it may not suit every fleet but for those considering the EV direction, Range is worth talking to.”
Daryl Bear, COO, MVT Solutions.
MVT used a diesel tractor, so we don’t know if the same improvements would happen for an electric truck – they would likely be close, but given that the electric truck already has regenerative braking, range gains might be a little lower than the 36% diesel efficiency gains.
Range Energy isn’t the only company doing something similar. Since we saw the Range trailer, we also heard about BMW doing the same thing in Europe with a trailer by Trailer Dynamics. Their solution has a much larger battery and claims higher efficiency gains, but it’s hard to compare the gains directly given the differences in testing regimens, regional shipping patterns and so on.
Range’s solution is not yet commercially available, but claims that production will ramp starting next year.
Electrek’s Take
The one issue with these tests is that the press release includes the words “up to” when describing the gains, and those words may be doing some heavy lifting. We’re curious to hear what circumstances work better or worse for the trailer, and what kind of average real-world gains can be gotten across a variety of fleets.
Other than that, I really like Range’s solution, because even though it doesn’t necessarily make trucks “all-electric” right off the bat, it does offer a much faster and easier way to electrify for many fleets.
Electric trucks are still quite expensive upfront, and while they offer extremely impressive benefits in terms of running costs, smaller operators can have a hard time fronting the money to convert to electric. While Range’s solution will certainly not be cheap either, it may offer an easier way to improve a fleet’s efficiency quickly.
My worry is that the market for Range’s solution will disappear over time. There is a lot of potential market to quickly electrify diesel tractors by adding a trailer, but as more and more electric trucks become available, there will be less and less need for Range’s trailer.
The “range extending” function might still be useful in some circumstances (e.g. medium-to-long-haul electric trucking of low weight and high volume items), but it still seems like a transitional solution rather than a permanent one. Especially with the rapid shift to electrification coming in trucking, led by California’s strong new trucking regulations.
So, Range just has to get to market and ramp up quick, both because it will offer immediate efficiency and clean air gains, and because the business might only have a limited time before it loses some of its relevance while electric trucks start to take over the industry.
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Tesla has started to offer discounted financing on Cybertruck as the electric pickup truck undoubtedly turns out to be a flop.
Tesla claimed over 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, and CEO Elon Musk said he could see Tesla producing 500,000 units per year.
However, that was before Tesla announced that the production version would be much more expensive and have a shorter range than what was initially announced.
The Cybertruck has now been in production for a year and a half, and it looks like Tesla would be lucky to sell about 10% of Musk’s goal of 500,000 units.
The automaker doesn’t report Cybertruck sales, but it is estimated that Tesla delivered roughly 40,000 Cybertrucks in 2024, and it is expected to have even more issues selling the truck this year.
Tesla has taken several steps to help sales.
We reported that Tesla launched Cybertruck leases to help move vehicles. The company is even still tucked with “Foundations Series” Cybertrucks, and we found out that Tesla buffed “Foundations Series” badges out of some trucks to sell them as cheaper regular Cybertrucks.
For the remaining “Foundations Series,” which there still are despite Tesla switching to regular Cybertruck production in October, Tesla has even offered free Supercharging for life.
Now, Tesla is stepping up its game, and it is offering discounted financing on new Cybertruck orders:
Tesla announced 1.99% APR for a limited time:
1.99% APR available for a limited time for well-qualified buyers
WIthout the “promotion”, the rate for excellent credit is 5.84%.
While Tesla is discounting the rates, it is not discounting them as much as for new Model 3 orders.
We reported earlier this week that Tesla offers 0% and 0.99% with $0 down on new Model 3 orders in the US until the end of the quarter.
Electrek’s Take
It is very possible that Tesla can’t sell more than 10,000 Cybertrucks this quarter, which would extrapolate to 40,000 units per year or less than 10% of what Elon said he would see Tesla delivering.
Now, the cheaper single motor Cybertruck should help, but by how much? It could bring Tesla to 20-30% of the volume Elon saw possible?
I think it’s fairly clear that the Cybertruck is a flop.
Tesla launched a single new vehicle in the last 5 years and it is a flop.
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Environment
Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China and it crashed the server starting at just $15,000
Toyota looks to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest EV market as it takes aim at BYD and other low-cost leaders. On Thursday, Toyota launched its cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X, starting at roughly $15,000. The new electric SUV crashed the server with over 10,000 orders in an hour.
Meet Toyota’s cheapest EV in China, the bZ3X
The bz3X is Toyota’s “first 100,000 yuan-level pure electric SUV” in China and its cheapest EV to hit the market so far.
Toyota’s Chinese joint venture, GAC-Toyota officially launched the “Bozhi 3X,” or bZ3X for short, in China on March 6. Shortly after, the company said orders for its new electric SUV were “so popular that the server crashed” after revealing prices start at just over $15,000 (109,800 yuan).
After securing over 10,000 orders in just one hour, Toyota boasted again that “the server is overwhelmed.” The launch comes after blind pre-orders opened in December, starting at just under $14,000 (100,000 yuan).
The bZ3X is available in two versions, with or without its full-scenario smart driving tech. The non-smart tech model starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,000) with five trim options while the smart driving model starts at 149,800 yuan ($20,500).
For 159,800 yuan ($22,000), the range-topping “610 Max” trim provides up to 610 km (379 miles) CLTC range from a 67.92 kWh LFP battery. The base “430 Air” gets up to 430 km (267 miles) from a 50.03 kWh LFP battery pack.
Toyota said the interior provides “a mobile space that is comfortable as home,” with front and rear seats that can fold down to provide nearly 10 feet (3 meters) of space.
Inside, the electric SUV has a 14.6″ infotainment screen with voice recognition and an 8.8″ driver display. It also includes a two-spoke multi-function steering wheel.
Toyota’s new bZ3X is its first vehicle with the Momenta 5.0 Intelligent Driving System. Powered by NVIDIA Drive AGX Orin X, it comes with 25 ADAS features, such as parallel parking, remote control parking, high-speed pilot, light traffic assist, and blind spot monitoring.
GAC-Toyota claimed it will be “one of the first automakers in the world to realize a one-stage end-to-end intelligent driving model.” With human-like intelligence, the vehicle “gets smarter and better with use.”
At 4,600 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,645 mm tall, Toyota’s cheapest EV in China is about the size of BYD’s Yuan Plus (Atto 3) at 4,455 mm long, 1,875 mm wide, and 1,615 mm tall. Starting at 115,800 yuan ($16,000), Toyota’s new bZ3X slightly undercuts BYD’s electric SUV.
What do you think of Toyota’s new electric SUV? Would you buy one for around $15,000? We’ll keep dreaming.
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