Semi-tractors are unsung heroes of logistics. Most places in the world would not run quite the same without these lumbering giants. The majority of these big trucks are powered by hefty diesel engines that guzzle fuel. Meanwhile, fully electric semis aren’t yet ready to take over the world of hauling. What if there were a middle option? Canadian firm Edison Motors thinks it has the answer with a fleet of smart hybrid trucks that work somewhat like diesel-electric locomotives. These are basically the BMW i3s of heavy hauling, and they have so much potential.
All of the semi-tractors that you see hauling heavy loads every day are beautiful pieces of modern engineering. Most of these rigs have a pretty simple, yet proven formula. Up front sits a diesel engine that’s so large it could fit a handful of smaller engines inside of it. That lump of metal and fire produces a kind of low-end power that boggles the mind. Tie that engine into a transmission geared for hauling, some air brakes, a hefty frame, and a stylish cab, and you have the recipe for a reliable workhorse.
Over the years, experiments have been conducted to power trucks with turbine engines and hydrogen engines. Lately, there have even been big developments into full battery-electric semis. Perhaps more obscure than all of these is the diesel-electric truck, and it appears that Edison Motors is leading the charge.
The Canadian brand, which markets itself as being built for truckers, by truckers, has taken diesel-electric locomotive technology and trickled it down into heavy trucking. In an Edison Motors truck, you do get a big diesel engine. But for a twist, all that engine is doing is running at a constant speed as a generator, just like the prime mover does in a locomotive. And just like in a locomotive, the wheels are driven by electric motor power. Edison Motors says its trucks are more efficient and more environmentally friendly than a regular diesel semi, while also being more versatile than a pure battery electric. Even better, the truckmaker wants to reduce the expense and complexity of keeping a new rig on the road.
If this all sounds too good to be true, the wild part is that electrifying trucks isn’t anything new.
A Century Of Electrification
Some of the earliest trucks in history were electric. Over a century ago, milkmen in Chicago and Detroit drove all-electric trucks from Walker Vehicle Company for their deliveries. These trucks had lead-acid batteries and didn’t go very far, but they got the job done. Using electric power for last-mile delivery trucks remained a thing for decades after, too. Birmingham, England, introduced all-electric garbage trucks in 1938 and then used them for over three decades.
Even hybrid diesel trucks have been around for a while now. Two decades ago, Mitsubishi launched the Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid. This truck pairs a 150 HP diesel engine with a 54 HP electric motor that work in tandem with each other. This is known as a parallel hybrid and both power units can provide propulsion either independently or together. This is how a typical hybrid car like the Toyota Prius works. You cannot get a Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid in America, but they have been in service all around Japan since 2006.
Isuzu was right on the heels of Mitsubishi back then as it launched the Elf Diesel Hybrid Truck, and like the Fuso, it uses a diesel engine and an electric motor in unison like a typical hybrid car.
Also joining in on the mid-2000s hybrid madness was Mercedes-Benz. In 2004, the marque teased a plug-in hybrid Sprinter van. A typical plug-in hybrid is similar to a regular parallel hybrid vehicle, only now you can charge the vehicle’s battery by plugging in. Usually, plug-in hybrids have smaller batteries that can provide a limited number of miles of EV-only range. Then, once the battery depletes enough, it becomes a regular parallel hybrid.
While there are plenty of parallel hybrid truck experiments to talk about, there haven’t been as many series hybrid developments. In a series hybrid, the electric motor(s) and the internal combustion engine are entirely separate entities. The engine is just there as a giant generator while the electric motor(s) do all of the work. A more common term for a series hybrid today is the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).
Perhaps the best-known EREV is the BMW i3 Rex, which has a small-ish battery and an electric motor, but it also has a small gasoline scooter engine to generate power once you deplete the battery’s stores. The original Chevy Volt was also marketed as a series hybrid. It was even boasted as being the world’s first series hybrid production car. General Motors eventually clarified that there were some situations in which the gas engine could assist the electric motor in propulsion. This has led to debate about what kind of hybrid the Volt really is. I’ve heard some describe the Volt as a “series-parallel” hybrid. However you look at it, GM baked some amazing technology into the Volt. More than one Volt owner has told me that they’ve gone 1,000 miles on a single tank because their cars can do most of their driving on electric power alone.
Series hybrids have been the most popular on the rails, where gigantic diesels inside of locomotives power electric motors, and in ships, where a similar concept is used. These sorts of hybrids don’t have large batteries to store the energy generated by the engines, but the engines and the motors are still separate entities.
Series hybrids have also been found in submarines and in NASA’s iconic Crawler-Transporters. Mining trucks have their own diesel-electric propulsion systems where large diesel engines funnel power into electric transmissions that have electric motors.
There have been some diesel-electric highway semi efforts. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Energy launched the SuperTruck program. In it, three teams competed to build the truck of the future. Cummins teamed up with Peterbilt and went up against the powerhouses of Daimler Trucks North America and Navistar.
Navistar and Kenworth displayed super slick diesel-electric hybrid trucks, as did Peterbilt and Roush with some help from Walmart. Even Volvo got in on the SuperTruck action. The SuperTruck program has looked promising with the truck makers reporting awesome gains in fuel economy, huge reductions in emissions, and quite frankly some really awesome styling. Yet, I must note that the SuperTruck program is still full of experimental prototypes. You’re not going to walk into an International dealer today and buy a streamliner diesel-electric semi-tractor that gets 16 mpg.
From Truckers, For Truckers
But that’s where Edison Motors might be able to help. The company gives a helpful retelling of its history:
Edison Motors was founded by Chace Barber and Eric Little who entered their business partnership in 2016 after graduating university and starting a trucking company with a 1969 Kenworth 5 axle Logging Truck (Old Blue). They began hauling logs in Merritt, BC. moved to hauling mining equipment into the Yukon and then expanded to moving drilling rigs in Alberta before returning back to BC Logging.
The business grew, more trucks were added and due to the frustration in serviceability of newer trucks the partners started rebuilding older trucks from the frame rails up to use in their own trucking operation instead of buying new truck. The business grew and expanded to hauling and installing power generation systems. In 2019 this added business aspect and growth to taking on the role of engineering and designing off-grid solar hybrid power systems. After their first successful project design and construction of a first nations community in northern BC Canada, Eric and Chace started to engineering process of a diesel-electric semi truck using the same principles.
After reserving a Tesla semi in 2017 and not receiving the truck for 4 years, in 2021 they decided to start building their own electric trucks because that was quicker than waiting for the Tesla delivery and resulted in designing of a more robust truck tailored to the logging and heavy vocational industries their trucking company operated in.
It’s not clear from the history above, but the original idea of Edison Motors was to create a logging truck that used as close to zero energy as it could. In the eyes of Edison Motors CEO Chace Barber, a third-generation logging truck driver, you would charge your truck before a driving shift. Then, you would drive that empty truck up a mountain mostly under electric power. From there, you’ll load up and drive back down the mountain. On your way down, the truck would use its regenerative braking to charge the battery.
Of course, perpetual motion machines aren’t a thing, so you will deplete the battery. Edison’s trucks still have large diesel engines to act as generators. But these engines are still smaller than what you’ll find in a typical semi.
In case you’re wondering, yes, “Edison” is a dig at Tesla, and Chace isn’t even hiding his intentions. When Chace spoke with the Vancouver Sun in 2022, he said: “Our company’s slogan is, Edison Motors: Stealing Tesla’s Idea, a nod to Thomas Edison stealing Nikola Tesla’s idea.” Slick.
Edison’s Train-Inspired Trucks
At first, the team at Edison took an existing truck (above) and modified it, from Edison Motors:
Carl is the name we gave to our prototype truck, he’s a 1962 Kenworth LW 924 made in Vancouver BC. Carl was originally purchased in Merritt BC in 1962 where it worked for 40 years as a logging truck. The name Carl is in honour of the father of one of our investors who was a truck driver that unfortunately passed away as we were starting the built, Carl was a truck driver his whole life and believed in our idea, we thought it was only right to name our first truck after him. It then sat for 15 years in a field rusting away before we decided to restore the truck and use it for our prototype diesel-electric hybrid.
We tore it right down, added new frame rails, air ride suspension, and a CAT 3306 Generator. We reinstalled 1 fuel tank for the diesel generator and added two large battery banks to each side of the frame rails like saddle tanks. For electric drive motor we used a Tesla model S motor. We welded up the differential and spider gears on, and adapted a drive shaft to it. From that it goes into a 4 speed Spicer Aux transmission to reduce the gearing, and into a set of 4.33 rear ends.
The Generator charges the batteries in about 20 minutes as the truck is driving and the truck can drive for 2-3 hours off the batteries alone. The result is (starting out on a full charge) this truck can drive 1000 km on 120L of fuel, which works out to 12L/100km (21mpg), which is absolutely incredible for a long nose Kenworth from the 1960’s. Before as a mechanical truck it got 40L/100km (6MPG) resulting in a 70% increase in fuel mileage on a bobtail.
It’s noted that due to the Tesla Model S motor and its output shaft, the truck wasn’t able to haul a load. When Edison tried, the shaft snapped off. But this truck was really just meant to be a proof of concept. Thankfully, Edison did upgrade this truck later, and it is used for hauling now!
The firm’s next prototype truck was named Topsy (above), and yes, that’s a dark reference to Thomas Edison’s elephant of the same name. This truck took the Edison Motors concept even further. Topsy is the Edison production prototype, and it’s a beast.
In explanation of how Topsy is built, Edison starts by saying that the truck’s frame rails go the whole length of the truck, right up to the hefty tow pin. Chace explains that there isn’t a drop leaf or any extra parts; the pin goes right into the frame. The idea here is that if your Edison truck gets stuck on the logging roads, your rescue rig will be pulling directly on the half-inch frame rails rather than any ancillary parts like the radiator’s mount.
The next really important part about the front end is the headlights. The lights themselves aren’t anything special, and Edison says that’s the point. The founders of this company know that truckers are fed up with high repair bills and truck manufacturers not making repair paths clear. Edison sees itself selling its trucks with parts lists, and the trucks are also designed to be repairable by the end user. Don’t like the headlights and want to do your own thing? Edison wants to give you the freedom to do that.
Moving back, the hood is a multi-piece arrangement. First, you pop open a butterfly door and then slide out a side panel. That gives full access to Topsy’s Caterpillar C9 8.8-liter inline-six diesel. Edison notes that the only thing this engine is doing is acting as a generator, not driving the wheels. As for the hood. Chace loves the narrow hood because you can sit on the fender while you’re working on the engine, which is nice. The narrower hood is also great for outward visibility in the cab, which itself has huge windows.
Edison also notes that the truck is supposed to be built however you want it. So if diesel isn’t for you, feel free to drop in a propane or CNG engine in there. Or, just remove the engine entirely and fill the engine bay with more batteries so you have an all-electric truck. Chace says the powertrain’s inverters do not care where the power comes from, thus, Edison’s concept is fuel agnostic.
The prototype truck is almost refreshingly simplistic. A simple exposed latch opens and closes the doors, and all of the air hoses are right there exposed in the cab and blocked by nothing. Again, the whole deal is to make a hard-working rig that you can fix yourself. Creature comforts are few in here.
Edison notes that its trucks will come with a display for the drive system. That part is nothing surprising, but the cool thing is the error readout. Chace says that these trucks have to be user-repairable. That part is non-negotiable. To help owners repair their trucks, the display’s error readout won’t just give you a code, but an explanation of what it is and give you a general troubleshooting tree. The ideal result is that you don’t have to bring your rig into a service center.
Moving to the back of the cab, Chace mentions that the controls for the dashboard are at the back of the cab. That’s why the dash can be super tiny. Sitting directly behind the cab is the truck’s power distribution unit. This can be moved to the frame, but for the prototype, it’s right on the cab for Edison to show off. Inside, Chace says, the distribution unit has fuses, contactors, and safety equipment. The unit’s job here is to keep the power flowing and safe.
In the middle is a box full of inverters, which take the power from the generator and put it into the battery. The inverters also provide power from the DC battery to the AC motors. Finally, in the box on the left, you have Danfoss units that take DC current from the battery and feed DC devices with it. The electric power steering, air compressor, and other equipment all run off of high-voltage DC power. The truck also has low-voltage lead-acid batteries for lights and other 12V automotive equipment.
The second heart of the operation is bolted to the frame behind the inverters, and that’s the 280 kWh 4C battery. Chace explains that this battery can discharge at four times its capacity.
He says Topsy’s battery is good for up to 1,500 HP. However, Edison has the prototype’s rear motor set to 700 HP to 800 HP. Chace notes that the real magic of the battery is handling high-load situations that the 350 HP diesel engine itself cannot generate enough juice for. So, we’re talking about hard acceleration with a full load or climbing a mountain. He continues that the battery is key to Edison’s claimed efficiency gains. What’s also pretty cool is that Edison’s battery has its own air suspension and huge skid plates, so it doesn’t get battered off-road.
Finally, we arrive at the rear, where Chace says that Edison partnered up with a supplier to create special beefy 52,000-pound axles, each with their own motors. Currently, Edison is quoting more than 350 HP per axle, hence why Topsy is rated to make over 700 HP. Chace also says these trucks are making more than 80,000 lb-ft of torque at the wheel compared to a regular diesel, which he says will make around 70,000 lb-ft of torque at the wheel.
Heavy Hauling
In late October 2023, Edison teamed up with YouTuber Rich from DeBoss Garage. In that video, Topsy pulled its first-ever load, a Sherman tank with a Chevy body on top. This load was a heavy one. The guys said the tank weighed over 50,000 pounds on its own, plus more than 20,000 pounds for the trailer. Add in Topsy’s rough 25,000 to 26,000 pounds of weight, and the guys were looking at an entire rig of 100,700 pounds.
Edison notes that it considers these trucks to be EREVs. They will run for two to three hours on EV power alone before needing to fire up that engine. But otherwise, the team thinks of it as bringing train technology to heavy trucking. If you have an hour, I highly recommend the watch:
How does this translate to production trucks? Edison began production in 2024, and its goal right now is to crank off five production trucks for some lucky early customers. Then it’ll take more orders and make more trucks.
As of publishing, Edison is selling a custom semi-truck and a pickup truck conversion. If you opt for a big rig, the company says you’ll have three axle options with three maximum output figures:
Single – 485 HP – Torque: 36,000 ft lbs
Tandem – 970 HP – Torque: 72,000 ft lbs
TriDrive – 1,455 HP – Torque: 108,000 ft lbs
The base engine is a 9.3-liter Scania inline five good for up to 470 HP. A second, more powerful engine will come from Cummins, but details haven’t been released yet. Buyers will also be able to spec their rigs with between 140 kWh and 280 kWh batteries. The drive system is joined with an Eaton 18-speed transmission and Meritor rear ends, and air suspension. The production trucks will have finished cabs in either sleeper or day configurations and more comforts than the naked cab of the prototype.
Options include custom builds, E-PTOs, hydraulics, fuel tank sizing of your choice, and of course, however much chrome you want. It’s a big rig, after all!
More Coming Soon
Edison is even working on scaling down the big truck architecture into a kit that you can install into pickup trucks. As of right now, Edison says the pickup kit should come with a 90 kWh battery and a Cat diesel engine to work as a generator. The output is currently estimated to be 500 HP. The DeBoss Garage team just built the first prototype for the kit and is testing it, thus far reporting efficiency gains of over 50 percent depending on the situation. We’ll check in on this one a little later to see how it’s progressing.
This conversion doesn’t appear to be for the faint of heart. You’ll be tossing out your Power Stroke, Cummins, or Duramax for a Cat. Then you’ll be tossing out your axles for Edison’s eAxles. Then, once everything is said and done, you’ll also have a pretty big box added to your bed.
Edison is saying to expect to see that one begin deliveries sometime this year. Price? The team is expecting to hit a target of “for a third to half the cost of a new pickup,” but also that the pickup kit will deliver 30 percent fuel savings compared to a typical diesel pickup truck.
The big question with all of this is fuel economy. For that, Edison says that its diesel-electric semi-trucks purchased for over-the-road use should see fuel savings of five to 10 percent. The company figures the logging industry will benefit the most. If you drive an empty truck up a mountain and then ride on the regen on the way back down, Edison thinks you could see fuel savings of around 70 percent.
For now, Edison is busy with a lot of projects. Its first five trucks will go into roles hauling oil drilling rigs, hauling logs, and one that will become a highway plow truck. The company says that a rough estimate for one of its trucks would be $450,000, or about $150,000 more than a comparable diesel. Of course, the draw, Edison hopes, will be that truckers will spend more to get a more fuel-efficient truck that’s easier to repair. As far as I’m concerned, this is just plain cool. I’ve long wanted to see train tech come to road vehicles, and now here we are.
Can we talk more about that pickup tank?
Wow, all I know is that the Sherman tank w/ the GMC Squarebody on it is…fucking AWESOME!
Hey Mercedes, the Prius’s hybrid system is the one that could be called series-parallel. The two MGs are part of the planetary so the engine can’t put power to the wheels without the battery, unlike the Honda Insight, which a real example of a parallel system.
What does it need an Eaton 18-speed for if it has axle motors?
Heavy hauling is very different than automotive. You still need gears to make the torque required to move an 80k lb truck. BEV Transit buses are using 4 spd transmissions for the same reason. It also provides an efficiency gain if you shift by motor/vehicle speed (rather than requested torque) because traction motors are more efficient at mid to high rpm’s.
Dodge is doing pretty much the same thing with the upcoming Ram Charger pickup. I have always wondered why this type of system has not really been developed. Oh, wait, the manufacturers prefer to keep making the stuff they already have developed if it’s still selling. That’s it. It takes a lot for any of them to really innovate and not just restyle. In any case it’s great to see this stuff getting developed one way or another. I would be super interested in the Ram Charger except there is 0% chance it will be an affordable rig.
https://www.ramtrucks.com/electric/ram-1500-ramcharger.html#overview
There’s so much that could be taken directly from rail transportation and applied to semi-trucks. Whenever I see a new idea for a battery-based electric semi-truck, I’m reminded of pantographs and overhead catenaries in railways, and how that doesn’t seem like the most complicated thing to add to freeways – the necessary infrastructure for battery charging seems way more complex, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the costs dwarf those of adding overhead wires to the slowest lane in highways.
Some pilot projects have been ongoing for years, in Germany at least (DAF and Scania are both testing this, not sure if these are separate projects or if they’re interconnected – maybe separate but sharing infrastructure?), and to me it seems like such a no-brainer solution for electrification of road freight. Sure, some batteries for added electric range and overtaking are a great plus, now that we have the tech for that (and keeping the ICE in there somewhere for hybrid power should definitely be on the minds of anyone working on electrifying semi-trucks, so kudos to Edison, despite the sketchy name), but I hate it that we’ve had this tech for decades and no one ever looked seriously into adapting it to trucks until recently.