Range Energy and ESL Power Systems partner on electric trailer charging

Commercial trucking electrification company Range Energy announced a partnership with ESL Power Systems to provide charging solutions for Range’s eTrailer System, which converts large diesel trucks to hybrid-electric. The partnership will leverage existing shore power infrastructure and affordable charging hardware to support the transition of commercial trucking fleets to electric and hybrid-electric operations, Range said.

Photo: Range Energy

As part of the collaboration, Range will work toward adding an ESL charging solution to its portfolio of practical electrification offerings. In preparation, the companies will conduct interoperability testing to ensure seamless integration and optimize charging efficiency for electrified trailers.

Range and ESL will also engage with air quality regulators on projects to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of using the Range system in real-world operations and showcase the environmental and operational benefits of electrified transport refrigeration unit (TRU) fleets operating within California. To support this, ESL will contribute 480V 3-phase charging hardware for installation at fleet sites, which will be used throughout the duration of the demonstration projects. Following completion of the projects, the chargers will be owned by the relevant fleet sites to support their transition to electric operations.

“Collaborating with ESL represents a critical step towards electric and hybrid-electric commercial fleet operations,” said Ali Javidan, CTO and founder of Range Energy. “By demonstrating the real-world feasibility of affordable alternating current (AC) charging to support electric and hybrid-electric fleet operations, we are proving that practical electrification solutions exist today.”

Jonathan Daou, product manager for ESL, said that fleet operators are looking for charging infrastructure to support electrification. “We are fulfilling that need by providing a high-performance charging solution that enables Range’s system to seamlessly integrate into fleets’ daily operations. This is important to ensure that the integration of electric equipment doesn’t negatively impact fleet operations, while simultaneously supporting commercial trucking’s transition to electric power for a more sustainable future.”