Range Energy’s electric trailer helps egg farm improve mpg by ‘up to 70%’
Range Energy’s electric trailer, which allows fleets to effectively hybridize by adding a battery and motor to the trailer, has been put into service by Petaluma Egg Farm to improve efficiency of its diesel shipping fleet by 50-70%.
The concept behind Range Energy’s trailer is relatively simple. Instead of the diesel-engine tractor having to do all the work to pull the trailer, Range adds a battery and motor to the trailer to help it push its own weight forward, effectively cutting the amount of weight the diesel engine has to pull and therefore increasing efficiency.
It sounds like a bit of a hack, but the purpose behind it is that electric tractors are quite expensive and are still ramping up in production. Meanwhile, trucking companies already have working diesel tractors that could be expected to have many years of life left, and aren’t necessarily excited to scrap their expensive tractors for an expensive new electric one.
While the swap works out for many companies, especially if it fits into the fleet buying timeline and a company is ready to replace its diesel trucks, there are other fleets that might benefit from an easier, more short-term drop-in solution.
And that’s what Range Energy’s trailer provides, because it doesn’t require any sort of retrofitting of the diesel engine, it’s just a pick-up-and-go solution.
It works with what Range calls the “smart kingpin,” which is packed with sensors to tell the trailer how hard the tractor is pulling. It then adds its own torque proportional to the amount the tractor is asking for, making loads feel lighter.
We got a chance to see a demo of it in action at ACT Expo last year, and let me say, it was one of the coolest demos I’ve experienced.
Since then, Range has had its trailer validated through independent testing, which said it can improve efficiency by 36% in average use cases. Given that fuel costs are a large part of any trucking company’s outlays, and that diesel fuel burned in heavy duty vehicles creates an outsized portion of smog-forming pollutants, this is a quick way to get some real improvements.
The trailer can also be used on electric trucks as an impromptu “range extender,” essentially just adding a larger battery carried by the trailer, in addition to whatever amount of energy storage the tractor has onboard.
There are some other companies with a similar solution, including a company called Trailer Dynamics in Germany. But the US and European markets are different, so there’s room for both in this realm.
Petaluma Egg Farm improves mpg by “50-70%” with electrified trailers
The news today is that Range Energy’s trailer has been put into service in a real-world test, including taking advantage of its large battery for refrigeration. Refrigerated or “reefer” trucks are used widely throughout the industry, but this is the first order Range has gotten for its electrified reefer solution.
The company in question is Petaluma Egg Farm, a family-owned business that serves Northern California grocery stores. It ordered and will deploy 10 of Range’s trailers over the next 12-18 months.
The order follows a successful pilot by the farm which it ran in July, testing the trailer on routes between 100 and 440 miles, and also on city distribution routes consisting of more than 15 delivery stops.
During the trial, the trailer had 100% uptime, and did not need any additional time for charging beyond typical downtime. Range says it delivered “up to 70%” mpg improvements. We followed up on that (since it sure seems like “up to” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there), and were told that “average” improvements tallied between 50-70% – but this is highly dependent on a number of factors, so take it with a grain of salt, especially given that the third-party test above showed 36% improvements on a standardized route.
Nevertheless, it shows that in this real-world circumstance, the trailer has worked well to reduce fuel costs for the company in question. And on routes that are perhaps easier-than-average, improvements better than 36% are possibly.
Electrek’s Take
We’ve been quite interested in Range Energy ever since demoing their system at ACT Expo and talking to their leadership.
While the system isn’t fully electric – the Range trailer is electric, but is still driven by a diesel tractor – it’s still a great way to drop in to a fleet and get an improvement right away.
We’d rather have everyone go all electric, which they will in the longer term. But in the short and medium term, this will still reduce pollution quickly.
The one thing we’re worried about is what Range will do once every truck already is electric. There’s still some use for these trailers in those circumstances, as they might fit into an ecosystem where tractors can be sold with a relatively smaller amount of energy storage for shorter routes that don’t need much energy, and then Range trailers can be added to those tractors for longer routes.
But this does feel like a more niche application. However, Range’s leadership seems to have good heads on their shoulders, and they’re a quickly moving company, so we think they’ll be able to figure something out.
Regardless, in the short term, this is quite a boon and we’d love to see more of these out there in the wild. Good on Petaluma Egg Farm for taking the initiative here.
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Battery recycling specialist Redwood Materials has just gained another major automaker as a client, signing a partnership with BMW of North America. Redwood will help recover and recycle end of life lithium-ion cells and their rare materials from BMW Group marques like MINI and Rolls-Royce.
Today’s latest partnership announcement only helps solidify Redwood Materials’ current status as the industry leader in battery recycling. The company, founded in 2017 by Tesla co-founder and former CTO JB Straubel, has found quick success in creating a more circular economy around lithium-ion batteries and their precious materials, such as cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel.
In the past few years especially, Redwood has earned the business of several major OEMs, including Ford, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo. In turn, Redwood has recycled those brand’s batteries and resold their materials and components to companies like Panasonic and Toyota for a new life in EVs.
The company is quite good at what it does, too. In 2023, it was touting 95% efficiency in a battery recycling pilot, which helped it garner huge government loans to build reborn EV batteries and a huge company valuation (over $5 billion as of September 2023).
As Redwood Materials continues to expand its battery recycling operations on two continents, it continues to add clients to its Rolodex, which now includes BMW.
Redwood to offer battery recycling to BMW and MINI in US
BMW of North America shared details of its new partnership with Redwood Materials today, which includes battery recycling of lithium-ion cells from all-electric, plug-in, and mild hybrid vehicles from BMW Group marques in the US, including MINI, Rolls-Royce, and BMW Motorrad.
BMW states that Redwood will now work directly with the automaker’s network of nearly 700 locations across the US, which includes dealerships, distribution centers, and other facilities. The battery recycling specialist will help recover BMW’s end-of-life lithium-ion cells and take them to its facilities in Reno, Nevada, where it can do what it does best – recycle and refine their critical minerals. Redwood’s chief commercial officer, Cal Lankton, spoke about the new partnership with BMW:
The transition to electric mobility presents a tremendous opportunity to rethink how we manage the batteries that power our clean energy future. Our partnership with BMW of North America ensures responsible end-of-life battery management that will improve the environmental footprint of lithium-ion batteries, help decrease cost and, in turn, increase access and adoption of electric vehicles.
As mentioned above, Redwood promises that 95% to 98% of the critical minerals recycled will be returned to the battery supply chain and put into new EV models. Battery recycling is a critical yet nascent industry for EV adoption and sustainability, as the current materials inside EV batteries are nearly infinitely recyclable and are not lost in their lifetime of usage.
Redwood’s recycling processes are also a far better option than anyone else today since they have a significantly smaller environmental impact than conventional mining or other recycling technologies. Redwood states its recycling and refining of said materials reduces energy by 80%, CO2 emissions by 70%, and water by 80%.
As we’ve previously reported, Redwood is in the process of erecting a new battery recycling campus in Charleston, South Carolina, not far from BMW Group’s production plants in Spartanburg and Woodruff.
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Flying cars are no longer just from sci-fi movies. Electric flying car maker Alef Aeronautics is one step closer to launching the new tech after signing a mass manufacturing deal this week for aviation-grade parts.
Although it may sound like something from the Jetsons, Alef has been advancing its flying car technology since 2015.
Alef set out to build an electric car that can actually drive and has vertical takeoff abilities. It also needs to be affordable.
After showing a scaled prototype, the startup attracted Tim Draper, a prominent venture capitalist known for his early Tesla investments. Draper became the lead investor with $3 million in seed funding.
We first saw the flying car, dubbed “Model A,” in October 2022. According to Alef, the Model A can drive up to 200 miles with a 110-mile flight range. It also has a $300,000 price tag.
Alef kicked off pre-orders the same month and had 440 reservations by the end of 2022. Less than a year later, Alef’s electric flying car became the first vehicle of its kind to receive a Special Airworthiness Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Alef signs mass electric flying car manufacturing deal
Last summer, Alef announced that pre-orders for its flying car had reached over 2,500. That would amount to $750 million in revenue once delivered. Reservation holders can reserve a spot in the “regular” queue for $150 or “priority” for $1,500.
The company also became the first to secure pre-orders to sell a modern aircraft through a car dealership last year. Alef signed a deal to sell its flying cars through a dealership in California.
As it prepares to launch one of, if not the world’s first, 100% electric flying car, Alef hit another milestone this week.
Alef announced it signed a mass manufacturing agreement with PUCARA Aero and MYC for aviation-grade parts for its electric flying car. The companies produce parts for industry leaders, including Boeing and Airbus.
As pre-orders top 3,200, Alef is now lining up manufacturing agreements to mass-produce its Model A flying car.
Alef’s CEO, Jim Dukhovny, said the company chose PUCARA Aero and MYC “for their impeccable safety record and compliance with major aviation authorities.”
PUCARA Aero proposed to build a subset of aviation-grade parts specifically for Alef’s vehicle. The parts will be “high grade” and certified by the FAA, EASA, and other aviation authorities.
Alef plans to begin Model A production in Q4 2025, with deliveries starting shortly after. The company is already working on its second vehicle, deemed “Model Z.” According to Alef, the four-door electric flying car is expected to launch in 2035 and start at just $35,000.
You can pre-order your electric flying car or learn more about the company and its tech on Alef’s website.
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Google is rolling out an update for Android Auto that adds improved support for electric vehicles that use the NACS charging standard found at Tesla charging stations.
About a year ago, Android Auto added new settings that allow Google Maps to tailor the experience to electric vehicles using specific types of chargers. At launch, this new “Electric vehicle settings” menu supported J1772, CCS (Combo 1 and 2), Type 2, and CHAdeMO, but lacked the NACS standard that was expanding at the time.
Now, a new update is finally adding that support.
Android Auto 12.9.143804 is currently rolling out in beta with support for the NACS charger in EVs that are “non-Tesla,” as Tesla vehicles do not support Android Auto (at least not without a workaround).
With this added support, users can toggle on that their vehicle uses an NACS charger and more easily find charging stations through Google Maps. EVs using Android Automotive won’t be directly affected here, as charging settings are separate on that platform versus the phone-based Android Auto experience.
Just this week, GM approved an NACS adapter for its electric vehicles. This is one example where Google’s implementation of charging options on Android Auto is useful, as drivers can select both NACS, which they can use with the new adapter, as well as the CCS plug built into the vehicle.
Google is rolling out this latest Android Auto update now through the Play Store’s beta track, but it should expand to add users within the next couple of weeks.
More on Android Auto:
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