It’s no secret that trucks produce their fair share of emissions. However, with the industry being such an integral part of our supply chain, not to mention engaging more than 5% of the entire Canadian workforce, eliminating trucks isn’t a responsible solution. The answer? Green Trucks!
There are plenty of companies making incredible strides in green energy and paving a path to eco-friendly, and even carbon-neutral, trucks.
MARS
The best solutions, solve multiple problems (and have the coolest names).
Ecolution has created what they call a “mobile power plant”, which combined with electric or hydrogen-fueled trucks, accomplished the entire elimination of carbon emissions. How? With their new Module Active Response System (MARS) that replaces diesel tanks and transportation refrigeration units with swappable batteries. The benefits are three-fold:
- Thanks to reduced weight (down 1,200 pounds), trucks gain increased hauling capacity and longer battery life for electric trucks.
- Allows electric vehicle batteries to be recycled, eliminating their environmental effects.
- When cold storage space is low, trucks must often burn diesel for days or hours while they wait. Electric batteries eliminate noise, along with health and environmental concerns.
Ecolution is on a mission to move the transportation industry towards a net-zero carbon footprint, and we think that’s pretty awesome.
The Newton eTrailer
The Newton eTrailer is a new technology that essentially converts a traditional diesel vehicle into a hybrid by replacing one of the non-powered axles with an electric one.
What’s fantastic about this technology is not only does it mean a reduction in emissions, but it also means a reduction in expenses by reducing fuel consumption by up to 40%!
Fully eliminating diesel trucks from the road is going to take time, something the environment doesn’t have much more of. This is quite an elegant solution to bridge the gap to fully electric trucks that will hopefully make their way over to North America from Europe.
Check Out Another Blog: Having Fun On The Road: 7 Things For Drivers To Do!
Intelligent Electric Axle
A little closer to home, U.S. company Hyliion is developing another electric axle system in the hopes of curbing emissions and saving money.
The Intelligent Electric Axle harnesses the power produced when breaking by capturing it and reapplying it to help the truck launch and accelerate, two of the most fuel-consuming things a truck can do.
Simply replacing one axle on a standard trailer can mean up to 20% less fuel consumption!
eHub
Another amazing innovation directed towards reefers (refrigerated trailers).
Developed by ConMet, The eHub sits in the existing space between the axle spindle and the brake shoes. It uses the energy produced by the rotation of the wheels to generate power directly for the refrigeration unit.
Depending on the route, batteries, and cycles, this could be enough to power the unit for the entire day!
Solar Cells
Most electric energy for trucks has been mainly harnessed for powering auxiliaries like refrigerators. Scania is looking to change that.
By decking the entire trailer out in solar cells, Scania hopes to give trucks possible fuel-saving benefits of up to 10%. Depending on the location (like a sun-rich area), this could even generate up to 20% fuel savings.
As an added bonus, the company is also looking into ways for the trucks to deliver power straight to the grid when they are parked and full of power!
