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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Signage is seen at the United States Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., August 29, 2020.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn have charged the founder of a U.S.-based cryptocurrency payments firm with operating what they allege was a sophisticated international money laundering scheme that moved over half a billion dollars on behalf of sanctioned Russian banks and other entities.
Iurii Gugnin, a 38-year-old Russian national living in Manhattan, was arrested and arraigned Monday and ordered held without bail pending trial.
Gugnin faces a 22-count indictment accusing him of wire and bank fraud, violating U.S. sanctions and export controls, money laundering, and failing to implement legally required anti-money laundering protocols.
“The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology,” Assistant Attorney General Eisenberg said in a statement.
Prosecutors said Gugnin used his companies — Evita Investments and Evita Pay — to process about $530 million in payments while concealing the origins and purposes of the funds. Between June 2023 and January 2025, he allegedly funneled the money through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges, primarily using tether, a widely used, dollar-pegged stablecoin.
Clients included individuals and businesses linked to sanctioned Russian institutions such as Sberbank, VTB Bank, Sovcombank, Tinkoff, and the state-owned nuclear energy firm Rosatom.
To carry out the scheme, Gugnin allegedly misrepresented the scope of his business, falsified compliance documentation, and lied to banks and digital asset platforms about his ties to Russia. Prosecutors say he masked the source of funds through shell accounts and doctored more than 80 invoices, digitally erasing the identities of Russian counterparties.
Investigators also cite internet searches indicating he knew he was under scrutiny, including queries like “how to know if there is an investigation against you” and “money laundering penalties US.”
The Justice Department said Gugnin maintained direct ties to members of Russia’s intelligence service and officials in Iran — countries that do not extradite to the U.S.
He is also accused of helping the export of sensitive U.S. technology to Russian clients, including an anti-terrorism-controlled server.
Gugnin was profiled last fall in a Wall Street Journal article about high-net-worth renters in Manhattan, where he reportedly paid $19,000 per month for an apartment.
If convicted on bank fraud charges, he faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, but if convicted on all counts, Gugnin could be given a consecutive maximum sentence significantly longer than his lifetime.
Despite China’s recent warning, BYD is ramping up the pressure on rivals with another ultra-affordable electric vehicle. BYD launched the Seal 06 EV, starting at just over $15,000, as the price war in China appears to be getting out of hand.
Meet the BYD Seal 06 EV
The new Seal 06 EV arrives after the China Automobile Manufacturers Association (CAMA) issued a warning last week, stating an automaker’s recent price cuts are “triggering a new round of price war panic.”
Although the statement didn’t single out BYD, it’s pretty obvious who they are referring to. BYD cut prices (again) on May 23 by up to 34% across 22 of its most popular models. Its cheapest electric car, the Seagull EV, now starts at just 55,800 yuan ($7,800).
BYD is now turning up the heat with another low-cost EV rolling out. The Seal 06 EV officially launched in China, starting at just 109,800 yuan, or about $15,300.
It’s available in three trims with two BYD Blade LFP battery pack options: 46.08 kWh or 56.64 kWh, providing a CLTC range of 470 km (292 miles) and 545 km (339 miles).
The electric sedan measures 4,720 mm in length, 1,880 mm in width, and 1,495 mm in height, approximately the same size as the Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm in length, 1,850 mm in width, and 1,443 mm in height).
Like most new BYD vehicles we’ve seen, the new Seal 06 EV is equipped with its God’s Eye ADAS and DiPilot 100 smart cockpit system. However, unlike some of the more premium models, the Seal 06 uses a camera system rather than LiDAR.
The new EV joins BYD’s Seal lineup of vehicles, which includes the hybrid Seal 06 DM-i and the popular electric Seal sedan models.
Inside features a similar setup to BYD’s other new vehicles with a 15.6″ rotating center infotainment and a smaller driver display screen.
Although the Seal 06 EV starts at 109,800 yuan ($15,300), BYD promises “with over 33 hard-core standard features, the entry-level version is high-end.”
It features a few added amenities not typically found in entry-level cars, including heated and ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting, and a surround sound stereo system. It even has a built-in refrigerator that can heat and cool.
Will it compete with Tesla’s Model 3 in the Chinese market? Although it features less range, the Seal 06 EV is half the cost. The base Model 3 RWD starts at 235,500 yuan ($32,800) in China with a CLTC range of 634 km (394 miles). Which one would you buy? Let us know in the comments.
After slashing prices again last month, another low-cost, but well-equipped BYD EV is arriving in China. Will the Seal 06 EV pressure others, like Tesla, to follow suit? We will find out shortly.
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The US solar industry is still booming, but looming policy threats could pull the plug on that momentum.
According to the new US Solar Market Insight report from SEIA and Wood Mackenzie, the industry installed 10.8 gigawatts (GW) of new electricity-generating solar in Q1 2025, with solar and storage making up a whopping 82% of all new capacity added to the grid.
And US solar manufacturing is also on a roll: The first quarter saw 8.6 GW of new module manufacturing capacity come online, the third-largest quarterly increase on record.
That growth came from eight new or expanded factories in Texas, Ohio, and Arizona. Meanwhile, US solar cell production doubled to 2 GW, thanks to a new factory in South Carolina.
But the industry’s rapid expansion is under threat. New tariffs and the “Big, Beautiful Bill” passed by the House that would gut clean energy tax incentives are injecting serious uncertainty into the market. SEIA warns that if the Senate doesn’t act to fix the legislation, the consequences will be severe: factory closures, energy shortages, job losses, and higher electricity bills.
“Solar and storage continue to dominate America’s energy economy, adding more new capacity to the grid than any technology using increasingly American-made equipment,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “But our success is at risk.”
According to SEIA, if Congress doesn’t change course, 330,000 jobs could disappear, along with 331 planned or operating factories and $286 billion in local investment. Americans could also see $51 billion in higher power bills.
Tariff uncertainty is already rattling the industry. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties (AD/CVD) on Southeast Asian solar cells and modules, plus other tariff shifts, are adding to the instability. Meanwhile, proposed changes to clean energy tax credits would undercut long-term planning for manufacturers and developers alike.
“The 10.8 GW of solar capacity installed in Q1 2025 represents a significant portion of new US electricity generation,” said Zoë Gaston, principal analyst at Wood Mackenzie. “However, our analysis suggests that the US solar market has yet to reach its full potential.”
And it’s not just analysts raising red flags. SEIA and Wood Mackenzie have downgraded their five-year outlook for every solar segment except community solar. Residential solar is expected to drop 14% compared to previous projections, and utility-scale solar is down 6%. If the clean energy tax credits are rolled back, that outlook could fall even further.
One major point of tension is politics. Texas led the nation in new solar capacity in Q1 2025, and Florida overtook California to land in second place. Eight of the top 10 states for solar installations in the quarter voted for Donald Trump in 2024.
That means the places most at risk if the House bill isn’t fixed are represented by Republicans.
SEIA says that if clean energy tax incentives are gutted, US energy production will drop by 173 terawatt-hours (TWh), and the country will not be able to compete with China in the global race to power AI.
The bottom line: The US solar industry is scaling up fast, but policy missteps could slam on the brakes just when momentum is peaking.
Read more: Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful’ bill will cause a US energy shortage – SEIA
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