How battery-powered trailers could transform trucking

Range trailers can also significantly improve emissions of NOx pollutants, which are harmful for human health. In fact, they can have an outsize impact, since NOx emissions tend to be highest during specific operating conditions like when an engine is shifting. Range’s trailers are able to ramp their contribution up when it’s most needed, so the newest models could cut NOx emissions by up to 70%, Javidan says.

As they hit the roads, battery-powered trailers might face some of the same challenges that fully electrified rigs are running into. 

In the US, trucks can’t be heavier than 80,000 pounds (40 US tons). Zero-emissions vehicles get a small buffer of an additional 2,000-pound allowance, but battery-powered rigs can run something like 5,000 pounds heavier than their diesel counterparts. That’s a major concern for operators, since the amount they can haul can be limited by those restrictions. 

However, many loads reach the volume limits of a trailer before hitting the weight limit. This is called “cubing out” in the industry, and it’s common when hauling packages, for example. (Think of the last package you ordered from Amazon—if it was a box that had one or two items inside and a whole lot of air, you get the picture.) Those are the loads Range trailers will likely be most useful for at first, Javidan says. 

Another concern is that electric trailers will rely on the same charging infrastructure that’s in short supply for trucks today, says Stephanie Ly, a researcher at the World Resources Institute. 

Large trucks could take hours to charge even on the fastest chargers available today—a problem for drivers, who often face pressure to complete deliveries quickly. And installing more powerful chargers could require significant planning and investment from utilities.