Over the last few years, Donald, Canada-based Edison Motors has been working on developing its own line of diesel-electric semi trucks. It's not a sophisticated auto industry player, but a tiny startup with people who know and love trucking.
Founded by former truck driver Chace Barber, the company is focusing on diesel-electric tech to power real working vehicles like log loaders, crane trucks, and drilling rigs. These venture way out of range from charging stations, and can't afford to give up payload capacity to giant batteries (a Tesla semi is estimated to carry 6 tons' worth of batteries).
So, this isn't exactly the same as an electric range extender system where a diesel generator recharges a battery. Instead, a powerful diesel engine runs at a constant RPM and continually tops up a modest-sized battery, which powers electric axles that spin the wheels.
As a result, you have all the range and fuel top-up time of a diesel vehicle, as well as instant torque on demand, and a simple direct-drive setup instead of a complex 18-speed manual transmission. Diesel-electric systems have actually been around since the 1960s, and Edison has had the good sense to revive them for heavy duty trucking.
Rather than conjuring up flashy futuristic machines, this startup wants to give truckers the keys to practical vehicles that are easy to maintain, simple to repair on the road, and capable of lasting for years.
As such, most of its parts are off-the-shelf, panels and interior components are bolted on, and there's no proprietary software locking owner-operators out of diagnosing and fixing their vehicles themselves.
Edison started off its operations by retrofitting a 1962 Kenworth truck with its own electric axles, and this seems to have inspired its design thinking for its own creations. The company presently builds specific truck configurations for its customers involved in logging, heavy haul, and vocational work. It's currently building a winch tractor, a quad-wagon logger, and a snow plow; pricing is said to be about 25% more than a comparable diesel truck.
The big idea is to pair a 9-liter Scania diesel engine with CDTL 5000 electric axles for trucks in a range of power configurations, going all the way up to 2,400 hp and 150,000 lb.ft (203,373 Nm) of torque on the tri-drive option.
Okay, enough backstory. Edison's CEO Chace Barber recently recorded a tour around the BDE, a mechanical tri-drive Texas Bed built for Royal Oilfield out in Canada. This isn't a diesel-electric, but a regular diesel vehicle with a manual transmission the brand is also offering alongside its hybrid system. But you can still see Edison's design thinking and vision for simple trucks that can get the job done and are easy to live with.
This is an oil-field truck that's meant to conquer rocky terrain and not get stuck in deep mud. It features an imposing front end with a full skid plate and plenty of ground clearance for the bumper to cover broken paths and an oversized slot around the bumper to attach a winch and pull it out of muddy spots. You'll also notice wide aluminum fenders protecting replaceable headlights with heated lenses to melt away snow.
There are plenty more details to discover, including the classic large external Donaldson air breathers, room beneath the cab to work on it, dual 8-inch exhaust pipes, a 40-ton winch, and reliable AD 130 air ride suspension. Inside, analog gauges dot the bolted-on dashboard, while a 46-inch sleeper offers plenty of room behind a driver's seat that can slide back for extra legroom.
It's not fancy by any means, but this utilitarian approach is what allowed vocational workers across North America to live with their trucks for decades.
Edison is currently inviting retail investors to fund its operations. Meanwhile, it's working to crank out those aforementioned custom vehicles, setting up a service to retrofit pickup trucks with diesel-electric powertrains, and is gearing up to build the first few of its semi truck production models in 2027.
Source: Edison Motors
