{"id":48864,"date":"2023-05-03T18:46:53","date_gmt":"2023-05-03T22:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=48864"},"modified":"2023-05-03T18:46:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-03T22:46:53","slug":"watch-how-range-energy-turns-a-semi-truck-electric-just-by-adding-a-trailer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/autosector.com\/?p=48864","title":{"rendered":"Watch how Range Energy turns a semi-truck electric just by adding a trailer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ACT Expo<\/a>, the largest advanced fleet expo, is happening this week, and the question on everyone\u2019s lips is: how can we electrify our fleet quickly?<\/p>\n

Range Energy thinks it has the best answer, and it doesn\u2019t require any retrofitting of tractors or engines, just a new trailer.<\/p>\n

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Range figured that so many people have thought about electrifying the semi-truck tractor, but nobody has really focused on the trailer. This makes sense considering the trailer is just dead weight on most trucks, so why would people think about changing the motive power of something without motive power?<\/p>\n

But with EV tech, Range thinks it can change that and add more safety and fuel efficiency. And it can do this much more quickly than it takes to build and validate new electric trucks.<\/p>\n

The idea is to add electric motors and a battery directly onto the trailer itself. This gives the trailer the ability to provide some of its own torque to help lighten the load on the diesel tractor, effectively reducing the amount of mass it needs to pull around on its own.<\/p>\n

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This just makes any load easier to carry. It should enhance the performance of the truck, making it easier to turn onto arterial roads, get up to speed on the highway, or perform passing maneuvers.<\/p>\n

Range told us that when it drove down to ACT Expo, from Northern to Southern California, going over the famous Grapevine (Tioga Pass)<\/a> was a cinch. The pass is famously difficult, featuring a 5-mile stretch of 6% grade, with shoulders dotted with frequent water stops for overheating engines. Range said it easily passed other trucks on the way up \u2013\u00a0and on the way down, it didn\u2019t have to worry about brake fade since it used regenerative braking in the trailer to charge the battery.<\/p>\n

And it doesn\u2019t even take any additional communication between the tractor and the trailer. All of this is done through Range\u2019s \u201csmart kingpin.\u201d This is just the standard interface on any truck trailer, but Range has put sensors in it to detect lateral loads from acceleration and braking. The sensors detect how much force the tractor is asking for, and Range spins up the motor in proportion.<\/p>\n

Range showed us a demo of how this works on a shrunk-down prototype of its trailer, with a handle attached to a version of its smart kingpin:<\/p>\n

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