Transforming trucking with an easy electric add-on

Could the swappable units help to cut freight's massive carbon footprint?

Spotted: Trucks and vans are responsible for 65 per cent of emissions from freight – an industry that generates eight per cent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Although completely replacing diesel engines with batteries and electric motors would slash those figures, doing so would be expensive and disruptive in the short term. Now, however, electric propulsion experts at Revoy may have an interim solution.

Instead of changing vehicles or requiring expensive retrofits, the startup provides an add-on for existing trucks that enables drivers and fleet owners to experience some of the benefits of EVs at a reduced cost and with minimal disruption to a company’s fleet.

Users attach the trailer kingpin to the Revoy unit’s fifth wheel, before connecting the Revoy’s kingpin to a tractor’s fifth wheel. This quickly converts the vehicle into a hybrid. Instead of waiting to recharge the Revoy, as is normally the case with EVs, truck drivers simply swap out the unit for a new, pre-charged Revoy at conveniently located sites along key trucking routes across the US. Each charged unit has a range of 250 miles. 

The swap is conducted by an attendant and the process only takes a few minutes to complete, with drivers able to reserve future swaps along their planned route using the Revoy app. According to the company, using the technology could cut a trucker’s emissions by 85 per cent and boost fuel efficiency to as much as 35 miles per gallon (MPG), up from the typical 6-8 mpg.

Written By: Jessica Wallis and Matilda Cox