I think a snow plow is a great first project. Not only will it show how an electric vehicle can work in the coldest environment, but also a corrosive one. Having the ability to charge stranded EV’s is a nice bonus. And they can easily run at night in residential areas without the loud diesel, just the scraping of the snow. Being a snow plow will also give great feedback on traction control since each wheel set will have independent control. If it works well then you have a company that can benefit from converting a lot of trucks to Edison hybrids.
Yes I agree. The sound of the diesel may be a problem in a city. But on the secondary highway I live on, the sound of the plow on the pavement, not the diesel, can be heard for several kilometres, before it passes.
@@lint2023I don’t think so. Previous videos show that the diesel generator kicks in to charge the batteries then stops when batteries are fully charged. Their platform runs off battery power the generator just helps charge when needed.
Could you imagine seeing Edison motors being created and watching these videos and a few years down the road being so mad at yourself for not investing? I can’t, that’s why I invested. Make smart choices.
The biggest item everyone overlooks when trying to help people understand why hybrid drive systems remain *CRAZY* compelling is that *NO LONGER NEED A REVERSE GEAR DRIVE FOR THE MECHANIC TRANSMISSION.* Take that one gear away and congratulations you've just simplified *ESPECIALLY* any automatic drive gear box/tranmission by an order of magnitude. Possibly increased reliability and durability by an order of magnitude insodoing as well. Still a huge fan of tag axles this can become a very compelling product especially for this particular type of work and regular highway use work as well. I used to follow a snowplow guy from Canada on RU-vid i think is his name was Hoff or Huff can't recall was a great channel tho he'll let you know all there is to know about snowplowing either way of that i have no doubt😊😊
For most purposes you've removed the entire transmission, you just have the equivalent of a differential (one gear reduction from motor to axle speeds) and electric motors have a wide enough torque curve to be fine at that one ratio. Same as how locomotives tend to be built.
I love that you are working with emcon in their shop for that build, drivers, builders, mechanics and engineering all getting to bounce ideas together to build the best for everyone in the end. Really glad i seen your link to invest on your website, i got mine, don't miss this chance to get yours
Great news guys. Looking forward as to performance of the vehicle thru the winter. The feedback will only enhance the overall product as you learn from any challenges that develop. If you can successfully run these vehicles in the mountains of BC, the world will be your oyster. Congrats on the grant as well.
Often they are started by people knowing what they are doing, but they also tend to be less than optimal as organizers and such. I'm a computer tech and one company I have bought a lot of power supplies from a company in Taiwan. They are not one you are likely to have heard of as they were mostly making server grade power supplies and had no presence on the regular market, but they are good, very good at what they do. One day I was told their boss was busy as he was working on developing the circuitry for a new PSU. He was still designing power supplies and left the management of the company to employees as they were better than he was at that. Note that he was still the majority owner if not the single owner, but he knew he couldn't run the company as well as the people he hired for that.
@@blahorgaslisk7763 i think thats the key part, he still works and owns the majority of his company, so its unlikely that staff is going to take advantage.
I’m glad to see how excited these guys are about getting to use your trucks for a very demanding job. For you to have the opportunity to build and design everything with a team that regularly assembles these types of trucks will only help your team to better integrate everything. I’m sure the guys will be thrilled to work inside a nice heated shop as well 😂. Congratulations on winning the grant and contract, I can’t wait to see the completed trucks and driver feedback. Keep up the great work
Going the way Edison is going right now, they're not going to "meet guidelines with a good truck", they're going to build a better truck that just so happens to meet or exceed guidelines, amd that's a huge difference
Hey Edison ! That's a nice project you got yourself into. Snow plowing is a stressfull environement for trucks, and you will be able to trace all the gremlins out of your trucks ! I've got a interrogation, are you planning to do some sort of a blockheater for the diesel generator ? For example, the snowplow was parked and charge for the night, then work for 2h out of batteries, then, when you want to start the diesel engine, do you think you can preheat with a little electric heater the bloc, to start the engine already hot to improve it's durabilty ? (Sorry for the typo, english is not my motherthong)
Working extensively with fleet electrification, snow plow duties are one of the major barriers pure battery-based tech simply can’t do. Excellent demonstration application.
SO Glad you guys got your first big break with that grant! Continue doing amazing work, I'm sure well be seeing the Edison brand Garbage truck, school bus, and ice cream truck soon!
CONGRATS ON THE $200k! I know you won’t disappoint with whatever your finish product happens to be. The thing I love about you/your company is that you understand and appreciate feedback. You tune your operations and equipment depending on that feedback. That’s IMPORTANT and most manufacturers have lost sight of that. They get into the whole “you buy what we build and you’ll like it” mentality. That’s how companies lose business and backers. If I were an investor… I would absolutely be backing you. Stay amazing 💪🏼
Hell yeah brother. Been following for a couple years now. I know how much this grant means to y’all. I’m so happy for you and to see where y’all be in 5 years.
Do they use salt on the roads in BC? Im in Ontario and the salt ruins vehicles in about 10 years. Undercoating with oil helps alot. Would you guys consider using dielectric grease on all your wiring connectors, and heavily undercoating these trucks when theyre brand new to help protect them? Trucks with double frames rust jack and they end up not being safe for the road. Even putting grease on mating surfaces like spring hangers and where cross members bolt together would considerably reduce the potential for rust jacking. If I was to buy a brand new truck Id pay extra to have everything greased and undercoated.
Well, a snow plow truck would be a pretty good opportunity to test an All-Wheel Drive configuration truck with the steer axle being powered as well. It is kinda strange how there aren't many all wheel drive semi trucks out there, especially in the applications that need them, such as a plow truck.
As you move ahead with the snow plow project take a cue from the aircraft industry, Rather than having a central hydraulic system, use individual electric hydraulic actuators.
Given the flooding problems that are being experienced might i suggest chase that you see what can be done to make things as water tight and protected as possible...especially for these special responce vehicles. You may have to think about how high up you can get your control systems as well as sealing them. BC has seen more than its share of flooding as well as fires.. and the ususal winter cold..
THAT is PROGRESS and makes sense. A whole lot less complication AND the power of the UNIVERSE rather than I.C.E. power. The TIP of the iceberg. Great to see
I'm not familiar with emmcon, but I interned for Viking-Cives Midwest. Can't wait to see one of these sitting on the lot in southeast missouri. Viking does the majority of DOT and major airport snowplow/dump body deals in the US. They also hold the patent for the trailer swing plow and the two way swing plow.
what about the noise savings ? imagine quiter residential streets in the middle of the nights!! also would be interesting to know what "30%" fuel savings in dollar figures is ?
I'm afraid to say that once the practical plow operators see Electric Emcon in action, then in spring '26 the Edison phone is going to ring off the hook for trucks needed all over north america. "Ring off the hook" is an antique phrase meaning "super busy". I suppose young people would say low-key no-cap rizz.
I would imagine the hybrid system should enable the application of more affective systems that would ultimately lead to improved safety, for the challenges that are unique to plowing snow. I’m thinking things like individual wheel traction management, more affective window clearing, for heated windows, and camera systems for better situational awareness. How about incorporating multi axle steering?
I'm interested in the build, but I'm also interested in an interview with the driver after some time behind the wheel, and maybe the maintenance guy keeping it in working order, so please think about a followup video. There is just nothing like real world experience.
I hope that the "Grader Cab" will be the standard for this snowplow chassis. I haven't driven snowplows of that size, but visibility is parimount! Being able to see both ends of the main plow and the wings, if two are used is a safety issue! Center seating should be the standard!!! Plus in my area, one person operating plows are the new standard! The whole rest of a standard truck cab is a waste of steel & fuel. Or in this case electricity! Look forward to your use of the grant money & the build itself! Congratulations🎉 Edison Motors!!!!👍👍👍
1:41 are you going to be using accumulator bottles to store hydraulic power? It would keep you from having to run the pump for every single little function…
I live in Michigan, would I able to invest? I've been following you guys for the last two years, and am so excited for what this company will do for the world. Unfortunately, I've only been a subscriber for the last 11 months. But I would love the opportunity to invest in this company's future.
So go on the website and they have a video out talking about investment , but of course the US GOVERNMENT has it where u have to make over 200k to beloud to invest into this , r government s joke
Wouldn't it be better to build something like a snow plow as a middle seat drop nose? Maybe move the passenger seat to the left side like on a tractor to have more space for the control elements
Havent seen this yet but this is an important contract. In part it's of course important for Edison Motors, but it's also important for the entire industry. A snow plow is not an ordinary truck. It's going to be working in a very hostile environment. The low temperatures, the snow and ice and the water puts new demands on the tech. Contacts will have to stand being wet and ice covered, the battery has to be kept at a decent temperature where it will work well, and the temperatures will change how the insulation on the wires behave. This is not just putting a plow on a truck. The truck has to be able to handle what the weather hands out when it's at it's worst. A snow plow doesn't stop because there's three feet of snow on the road, it power through to make the road usable for all other traffic. I do hope it all turns out working well as a diesel electric snow plow is one of the toughest trucks I can imagine them building.
@@jurgens9867 yes I understand that but salt eats away everything... I love the idea and reality of the concept of the regenerative truck but this is carrying salt and spreading salt so it is getting 100 times more than a normal truck would.. That is why I am asking.
I have a question: Did you examine converting the hydraulics to electrics? It seems to me (an individual with no detailed knowledge in the field) that it would be more efficient to run the systems using a series of electric motors, since you already have a battery, instead of consuming energy to convert to hydraulic power and transmit that power. It makes sense to use hydraulics when you can run off of the driveshaft, but when you are taking from a battery, it seems to me to be more efficient just to use electric motors. I understand that for this particular truck, being a first-of-kind prototype, you want to play it safe and conservative with systems. When developing new technology, it is generally a good idea to have as little variability as possible. Likewise, I can see that swapping out the hydraulics would represent a considerable additional expense and complication, probably requiring the development of new technologies and components. But for future trucks, maybe it would be something to look at? I also had a couple of brain farts that I thought that I might throw out there just so somebody can explain why they wouldn't work: 1) Batteries need cooling. Why not route the coolant lines out of the battery pack and into the plow blades? This would heat them up and help move/melt snow just that little bit extra. Or use it to prevent other components from freezing up. This would create massive additional complexity and expense, but it would raise efficiency. Heat from the generator could also be used. Basically, my idea is to use waste heat generated by drive-train components to help insulate other components. Obviously, a lot of complexity, and there would need to be conventional cooling systems for operation outside of wintertime. But maybe something to examine for a 3rd or 4th Gen? 2) Topsy didn't really use the generator to haul that load of lumber. Back in the 1970s, GM built the top-of-the-line Cadillac Series 75 limousine (one of the last from-the-factory limos) using truck chassis components. Today, the Beast, the US Presidential limo, also rides on a heavy-duty truck chassis. Could Edison tech be used to create a sort of super-limo/Series 75 restomod that didn't even need a generator? I know that this isn't really something that Edison itself is all that interested in, but could the tech be applied by somebody else? 3) Edison + Lucid = AWESOME. Have you considered contacting them at all? Or Rivian? I just think that different companies that are not really competing could benefit from allying with each other. Even just small tech transfers might help.
one thing i realised from watching all these videos is that pretty much all or low floor tech Busses in Europe are Diesel Electric without direct shaft connection for pretty much over 20 years if not more. sometimes the engine is in the back sideways but there are also conficurations were its on the Driver side facing Forward allowing for an extra Door at the very rear. i wonder if these independent air suspension parts could be usefull for Garbage trucks since you will be able to drop all kind of batterys and equipment very low in the frames wich i asume could help alot with height clearance. btw edision should make a Truck as Car Hauler for tesla deliverys or more importantly call backs :D . there was a long rivalry between BMW and Mercedes with Billboard comericals. Mercedes: A guiding Start bringing you safly to your Destination and it shows an Actros with a full load of BMW's.
#edisonmotors , I've been doing some calculations and estimations. There's a way to make the hybrid solutions work for on road freight transport. Currently, it's actually more fuel efficient for long range semis to run conventional diesel, this we both agree upon as in your experimenting you demonstrated increases in fuel consumption for on highway trucks. The problem is that it basically requires more fuel to make the same average power over time once the trucks get that heavy at those speeds, so in order to increase Brake Specific Fuel Consumption per Kilowatt-hour, one possibility is to put a heat exchanger in the exhaust system to boil water for a steam turbine, generating extra electricity off of the waste exhaust heat. Also, I personally recommend overhauling the valve train to an electromechanical one (Similar to FreeValve, you could use air off the compressed air tank I guess but I'd just use electric solenoids instead) and you can then program your valvetrain to operate on a 6 stroke cycle where the 5th stroke is an intake stroke with the intake valve opened the entire duration of the stroke and then a second exhaust stroke to evacuate all the air. This would allow you to extract additional power from the exhaust system as the turbocharger would be able to run at significantly higher compression ratios and apply much higher pressures to the 5th stroke to drive the pistons. This also cools down the combustion chamber in preparation for the actual intake stroke to create better charge air density. I'm not an engineer, not a programmer, not a truck driver, just a physics nerd that's been bored.
