Revoy EV promises to electrify diesel semis in minutes
By packing batteries and an electric drive axle into a tandem trailer that fits between a conventional semi truck and trailer, Revoy EV promises to “electrify” trucking and cut a fleet’s fuel bill in half. It sounds amazing – but eleven tons of questions remain.
The Revoy EV concept is deceptively simple. A tractor’s 5th wheel pairs up with the Revoy’s hitch. Then the trailer that the semi is set to haul attaches to the Revoy’s 5th wheel. Some AI embedded in the Revoy’s electronic control units does some number-crunching and the three-part truck, trailer, trailer combo then hauls off down the road, with the Revoy’s high-torque e-axle providing most of the power to accelerate the load and diesel power where it’s most efficient: on the highway.
The best part, according to Revoy? Truckers can add the Revoy EV trailer to their rigs with no up-front costs.
“We offer a really different and much better and easier path for fleets to go electric,” offers Revoy EV’s founder, Ian Rust. “We offer a service, (zero money up front for the unit, then) customers pay us by the mile. It’s really more of a fuel product. We charge them for the diesel we save them, altogether with the residual diesel, and our fees that are all inclusive.”
The Revoy EV has a range of about 250 miles, which comparable to the 2nd generation Volvo VNR Electric and the Freightliner eCascadia models. “On a 250-mile run, a truck getting 7 mpg might burn 35 gallons of diesel, which we’ll say costs $4/gallon or $140,” writes Alex Lockie, from the Commercial Carrier Journal. “The Revoy EV would cut that in half, approximately, and bill the fleet for a cut of the difference.”
Revoy EV hybrid semi trailer
Revoy is launching with two “swap stations” already up and running in Texas and Arkansas, where drivers can pull into the station, be greeted by a Revoy attendant, then swap out their spent battery “in about five minutes or so,” according to the press release. Rust adds that Revoy has stations planned for California and Oregon as well.
Electrek’s Take
Where do we start? On the one hand, the Revoy EV is very much not vaporware. This is a thoroughly conceived, well-engineered, and seemingly well-funded effort to bring someone’s big idea to life. On the other hand, the concept itself seems deeply flawed.
The first major problem with the Revoy EV is its weight. The electrified trailer weighs in at about 22,000 pounds, according to the company – around 2,000 pounds lighter than the previously mentioned Volvo VNR Electric and as much as 6,000 pounds more than a Freightliner eCascadia. National rules say that without a special permit, a semi-truck and the trailer it is hauling can’t collectively weigh more than 80,000 pounds in total. Worse, the Revoy doesn’t fit into any special legal loopholes that can help make that mass go away (because the Revoy isn’t a ZEV, it doesn’t even get the extra 2,000 lb. GVWR allowance a BEV gets). That means adding a Revoy trailer to your rig effectively negates your ability to haul 22,000 lbs. of the stuff that, you know, you’re actually being paid to haul.
Add in the potential safety risks and generically “weird” handling characteristics presented by adding an extra few articulations into the mix and the Revoy starts to look even more like a liability.
Still, the Revoy guys aren’t dumb – and a number of knowledgeable industry people have jumped in to defend Rust’s concept. “In high-value freight at least,” offers Lockie, “the trend has been toward the extreme majority of loads cubing out before they ever weigh out.”
Rust, to his credit, at least acknowledges the problems. “The key is when we encounter those trailers that can’t afford the weight (of the Revoy EV), we wave them on,” he says. “We looked at the data … two thirds of loads can accommodate the extra weight.”
With so many commercial fleets complaining that the 2000 lb. EV adjustment isn’t enough, I (for one) question Rust’s confidence. Still, I’m just one guy – and you, dear readers? You’re smart. Head on down to the comments and let me know what you think of the Revoy EV, and whether or not you think it’ll be a staple of trucking’s future.
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DHL Express has more than 10,000 eSprinter vans in its global delivery fleet, but none of those have been deployed in North America – until now, that is! The company recently added 45 new Mercedes eSprinter panel vans, and they’ve got plans for plenty more!
While Mercedes offers its eSprinters with a promised 206 mile estimated range, DHL says it’s consistently seen them exceed 240 miles in stop-and-go delivery duty, making them the longest-range battery electric vehicles in DHL’s US fleet.
This extended capacity makes them ideally suited for urban logistics while expanding their potential use in longer delivery routes. The eSprinter vans also offer the same massive cargo capacity as their diesel-powered brothers, making them efficient last-mile delivery solutions that don’t compromise on payload or operational reliability.
And, of course, the eSprinter will do all of that without the noise, vibration, and harmful carbon emissions of diesel.
“Electrifying our fleet is one of the most visible and impactful ways we are moving toward a more sustainable future,” explains Greg Hewitt, CEO of DHL Express, US. “The Mercedes-Benz eSprinter brings an extended range and proven cargo capabilities that allow us to serve our customers with zero emissions, while also advancing our global goal of more sustainable logistics. These vehicles not only strengthen our operations in major US cities but also set the stage for future electric fleet growth across the Americas.”
The 45 eSprinters will see deployment in Chicago, Indiana, and Pittsburg, and will act as a first step DHL’s global Sustainability Roadmap, which will see the company electrify 66% of its last-mile US delivery fleet (and some of its long-haul fleet operations) by 2030.
Electrek’s Take
In addition to these 45 vans, DHL is electrifying its European and Asian delivery fleets, ramping up its sustainable aviation fuel use, and even exploring electric semis, eVTOL and hybrid aircraft deliveries, and more.
In short, they’re doing the right thing – or seem to be, anyway. Whether or not that commitment to decarbonization will win them more American customers remains to be seen.
SOURCE | IMAGES: DHL, via PR Newswire.
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Enphase Energy just launched a new off-grid system that lets homeowners power their homes without a utility connection – even for extended periods. The California-based Enphase says the off-grid setup delivers a seamless way to live independently from the grid while still using solar, batteries, and a standby AC generator.
A full off-grid setup
The new system combines Enphase’s IQ Battery 5P with embedded grid-forming microinverters, IQ8 Series Microinverters with Sunlight JumpStart, and a third-party standby AC generator. The components work together to supply power to a home and automatically manage energy sources to maximize efficiency and reliability.
If the batteries are drained and the generator runs out of fuel, the Sunlight JumpStart feature can automatically recharge the batteries the next morning once the sun comes up.
The IQ Battery 5P delivers 3.84 kVA of power per 5 kWh of capacity, and systems can be scaled up to 40 kWh and 15.4 kVA. That’s enough power to start big household appliances like HVAC systems or water pumps. The IQ System Controller 3G provides the backbone, managing solar, batteries, and generator inputs to deliver up to 46 kVA of off-grid power.
Smarter control and connectivity
Each system connects to the cloud through Enphase’s IQ Combiner 5C HDK, which bundles solar interconnection, communications, and metering into one box. For homes without reliable broadband, the built-in 4G LTE Cat 4 modem keeps the system online for monitoring, firmware updates, and remote support.
Homeowners can manage everything from the Enphase App – from solar generation and battery status to generator integration and load control.
Why it matters
As grid outages become more common and homeowners look for ways to gain energy independence, off-grid systems like this are becoming more appealing.
“With the launch of our off-grid solution, we are giving homeowners a reliable path to complete energy independence,” said Nitish Mathur, Enphase’s SVP of customer experience. Enphase says over 100 homes are already operating entirely off-grid using its technology. The company plans to expand availability beyond the US in 2026.
Read more: Battery boom: 5.6 GW of US energy storage added in Q2
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Global offshore wind targets are still strong enough to triple global capacity by 2030, despite the US’s offshore wind stagnation under Trump. A new analysis from energy think tank Ember and the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) shows that the rest of the world is charging forward, underscoring confidence in offshore wind as a cornerstone of future clean energy systems.
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