Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) announced a compressed natural gas and plug-in hybrid electric Class-4 logistics truck, made possible by EDI’s innovative drivetrain technology and vehicle control software.
The first-of-its-kind market-disruptive vehicle will help fleets switch from petroleum-based liquid fuels to domestically available, cleaner-burning natural gas and electricity. The truck was unveiled at a voice of the customer event hosted by CALSTART at the Southern California Gas Energy Resource Center.
CALSTART developed the Voice of the Customer (VOC) event for EDI, with funding from the Southern California Gas Company. Designed to give the manufacturer and supplier guidance on the powertrain concept, the VOC event and ride and drive will provide crucial user input. Before the vehicle’s unveiling, CALSTART surveyed more than 30 fleets and developed the event’s highly interactive agenda.
After the event, CALSTART will manage on-road emissions and fuel economy testing of the truck. Additionally, the organization will issue follow-up user surveys to solicit helpful feedback, further accelerating the commercialization process.
The CNG PHEV truck has an all-electric range of 40 miles (64 km). The EDI team integrated the optimized EDI-Drive into a Greenkraft 14,500-pound class-4 medium-duty CNG truck. EDI’s technology effectively tripled the miles per gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE) of the baseline 14,500-pound CNG-powered truck from approximately 9 miles per GGE to 27.
The CNG-PHEV can achieve 100-percent all-electric operations and entirely eliminate the use of compressed natural gas when in EV mode.
“The Greenkraft CNG logistics truck in a plug-in hybrid configuration further demonstrates the versatility of EDI Power Drive technology, enabling the seamless replacement of the original mechanical system with EDI’s straightforward, clean power drive system. We’re thrilled to expand our solution offering and will continue to provide fleet operators with cost and performance-optimized options for electrifying their fleets.” -Joerg Ferchau, CEO, Efficient Drivetrains, Inc.
