Effenco recently introduced its new 100% electric solution, which is poised to radically transform the vocational trucking sector in general and the port’s operations specifically. The company developed a technological solution that makes it possible to offer a 100% electric heavy-duty vehicle at the same purchase price as diesel equivalents. The key is the pairing of supercapacitors, designed using Effenco’s patented technology, with wireless charging stations strategically positioned along the tractor’s route using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms. This unique solution allows for a complete electrification of the vehicle with a fraction of the energy on board.

Effenco, whose name is based on the term "energy efficiency," has always had a unique way of approaching obstacles. The company first looked at how to reduce the amount of energy a heavy-duty vocational truck requires to perform its tasks. After collecting and analyzing hundreds of thousands of hours of operation under real-life conditions, Effenco developed a Hybrid Electric Technology that shuts off the engine when the vehicle is stationary, uses supercapacitors to electrify on-board equipment (such as HVAC) while the truck is on idle, and partially assists propulsion.

The Electric Hybrid Technology is the first step on the road to zero emissions. Considering the biggest hurdles to mass adoption of electric vehicles remains cost of acquisition and deploying a recharging infrastructure, Effenco has now leveraged its technology and brought it to the next level. 

Combining Effenco’s proprietary ultracapacitor design with wireless charging stations strategically positioned along the tractor’s route using artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms, the company designed an all-electric architecture for vocational trucks that outmatches current options in terms of costs while removing the price barrier to electrification. At the same token, this solution delivers unlimited range and requires 20 times less on-board battery storage than current alternatives. Less batteries, more autonomy.

“As counterintuitive as it may sound, the best way to
successfully electrify heavy-duty vocational trucks is to
reduce the quantity of energy on board, not increase it,”
– David Arsenault, president and cofounder of Effenco.

Most heavy-duty vocational vehicles, and even more specifically terminal tractors, have regular routes that can be predicted with pinpoint accuracy using AI-driven algorithms. Taking their energy efficient design strategy to the next level, Effenco incorporated the data collected in real-time during fleet operations into its all-electric solution. Required energy storage capacity can be optimized using proprietary algorithms and the ideal placement of charging stations can be reliably predicted along the truck’s route. Based on data rather than assumptions, this strategy allows for complete electrification with a minimal amount of energy on board. All that is required is enough energy to get from one wireless charging station to the next, which is the key to reducing the cost of purchasing an electric vehicle. Opportunist (or en-route) charging, where trucks are charged throughout the day at strategic locations along their routes, allows vehicles to drive longer without returning to a depot. It eliminates range restrictions, offers charge-while-you-work efficiency, requires no manipulation, and does not cause a peak in the demand for electricity.

Effenco’s data-centric, flagship Hybrid Electric solution is an efficient, adaptable and affordable tool on the road to achieving sustainable development. Designed for new and retrofitted trucks, it can help achieve immediate savings in fuel, maintenance costs and GHG reductions.  With Effenco’s all-electric powertrain available at a highly competitive upfront cost, the company is paving the a road toward zero emissions: “Our clients are on a fast track to meet their CO2 emission targets, and to seize the opportunity—early in the game—to transition to a 100% electric infrastructure... at their own pace”.

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