As Santa makes his way to your chimney, deliver this from Environmental Defense Fund: “What if he brought you a rechargeable battery that kept your high-efficiency electric car on the road? Would you be all that surprised?”
That’s exactly what Effenco aims to do.
The Montreal, Canada-based company has developed and commercialized an all-electric heavy-duty truck that can recharge directly from a 12,000-watt power outlet. By contrast, batteries and plugs in every major truck manufacturer’s models need to be charged in massive battery banks.
Initially, Effenco’s experimental project was motivated by practicality. The company was initially providing and shipping significant volumes of heavy-duty batteries, and emissions and fuel consumption of these goods-moving vehicles made up a significant proportion of overall company greenhouse gas emissions.
“If you look at the whole trucking industry, and the freight movement industry in general, it is the largest private sector user of natural gas, and we believe carbon dioxide is the fuel of choice for these freight movement companies,” said EV researcher Ben Whitehouse. “So basically our goal was that we would make technology that not only supports the current requirement for diesel, but that can also have the possibility of substituting it for natural gas, and make fuel efficient trucks.”
As the pressure on carbon emissions to remain at sustainable levels continues to mount, Effenco’s solution is due to go on sale to truck owners and truck manufacturers in 2019. It’s also being used to de-bon voyage the company’s existing fleet of battery-based projects, which were not always a long-term proposition.
The development of a smaller and lighter electric truck is a significant milestone for Effenco and a significant advance for the broader commercialization of alternative energy, both energy-efficiency and energy-producing options.