Electrifying the entire US commercial truck fleet is a massive undertaking that could, per one estimate, require hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure investments alone.
California-based EV startup Revoy is betting on the idea that fleet operators working to meet decarbonization targets will buy into what it touts as a simpler solution: electric units that can be seamlessly and quickly swapped in and out of semi trucks, essentially converting them to hybrid vehicles and thereby reducing diesel usage.
Revoy now has some insights into how well its solution works; the startup in October announced its first customer, logistics and leasing provider Ryder System. The companies have been working together since last December, with Revoy supplying its solution to Ryder along a route that starts in Memphis and spans portions of Arkansas and Texas.
Tech Brew recently caught up with Revoy’s founder and CEO, Ian Rust, who told us that the deployment is “really showing off our critical application, which is long haul, but also showing how we can get started at smaller scales.”
Flexibility: Industry stakeholders are clear on the fact that in order for commercial fleet operators to go electric, the transition has to make financial sense. It’s likely that diesel-powered trucks will be in the mix alongside battery-powered ones for a long time to come.
But Revoy offers what Rust characterized as a flexible solution. It enables commercial fleets to become cleaner and more fuel efficient without taking on the costs and logistics of replacing all their diesel trucks with electric trucks.
What it offers is a twist on battery-swapping, which involves switching out EV batteries to eliminate battery- and charging-related headaches. Revoy, meanwhile, promises to attach its fully charged EV unit between a truck’s tractor and trailer in under five minutes at one of its swapping stations.
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“The economics have to work in trucking,” Rust said. “No technology is going to be adopted en masse if it’s more expensive…You can make it work, however, if you’re using that more expensive equipment more frequently. That’s one of our core innovations.”
He acknowledged that vehicle weight can represent a challenge, given that semi trucks have to meet payload restrictions. Revoy’s answer to this challenge is that its solution provides more flexibility than an all-electric truck, which would be powered by a large, heavy battery––necessarily requiring some adjustments. But if a truck stops at a Revoy swapping station and the company finds the vehicle is too heavy with its unit attached, it simply sends the truck on its way.
Mike Plasencia, group director of new product strategy at Ryder, has said that Revoy’s product gives the company a way to cut down fleet emissions “without having to buy anything––and without having to worry about how much utilization we’re going to have to get.”
Meanwhile, Revoy plans to launch a next-gen version of its vehicle sometime next year. The new version is slated to deliver even greater fuel usage and emissions reductions. The startup also is preparing for new deployments in Texas and Washington State.
Rust noted that, earlier this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule governing greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles through 2032.
“If you use Revoy, you’re immediately there,” he said. “You don’t need to replace the whole fleet.”