Riverside, CA – (May 21, 2014) – TransPower, an advanced clean energy technology company, announced that its latest electric Class 8 truck, using the Company’s “ElecTruck™” battery-electric drive system, will be on display at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) today. The truck is being exhibited as part of UCR’s “New Grid Testbed Opening Celebration,” a one-day event showcasing various UCR laboratories and technologies related to advancements in electric power delivery and electric transportation.
The truck being exhibited today at UCR uses a next generation electric drive system designed to meet the demands of drayage trucks operating near ports such as the San Pedro Bay Ports complex, which encompasses the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. New features of this drive system include a dual-motor propulsion unit designed to provide up to 300 kilowatts (400 horsepower) of peak power, a five-speed automated manual transmission, a unique power conversion and accessory assembly that replaces the truck engine, and a modular 270 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery subsystem using proprietary TransPower battery management software.
In what TransPower believes is an important “first” for an electric vehicle of this weight class, the truck was driven nonstop from TransPower’s headquarters in Poway to UCR’s campus in Riverside, a distance of 88.2 miles. During the inter-city trip, the electric truck climbed some of the steepest grades in Southern California, achieved a top speed of 65 miles per hour, and consumed 1.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity per mile – about a quarter of the cost of using diesel fuel. While the truck was not pulling a trailer on this particular trip, the first TransPower truck of this series has pulled trailers with total vehicle weights of up to 75,000 lb., and the two trucks have accumulated more than 1,000 miles of test operations since the beginning of this year.
The electric drive system installed into the truck being exhibited today uses an International ProStar® Class 8 truck manufactured by Navistar. It is the second of eight trucks of this design that will be converted by TransPower by the end of 2014 and placed into drayage service near the L.A./Long Beach ports. Funding for TransPower’s electric drayage truck development has been provided by the California Energy Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, South Coast Air Quality Management District, and the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
About TransPower
Transportation Power, Inc., doing business as TransPower, is a privately-held California company that develops and provides clean vehicle and stationary energy storage technologies and products. TransPower has developed a proprietary “ElecTruck™” integrated electric drive system for large trucks, tractors, and buses. TransPower is also developing its “Grid-Saver” fast energy storage system, designed to maximize commonality with TransPower’s electric vehicle products, including lithium battery modules, battery management systems, and energy management technology. In addition, TransPower is developing drive products using state of the art hybrid-electric and fuel cell hybrid propulsion systems.
For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.transpowerusa.com.
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