Quick Charge

On this really quick episode of Quick Charge, we talk to Range Energy Vice President of Product Collin MacGregor about how his electric trailer can help reduce freight costs, support the grid, and more – WITHOUT asking operators to switch trucks.

More often than you probably think, the biggest obstacle a fleet faces when choosing to electrify isn't the high cost of entry or the utility's ability to provide power. Instead, it's the operators – the drivers who will be sitting behind the wheel of the fleet's new trucks, and who don't want to part with the big diesel rigs they've come to know and love. Range Energy has an interim solution that could help fleets save up to 70% on their existing fuel costs, get the fleet's techs and drivers used to electrification, and provide emergency energy storage at a moment's notice.

If you've been paying attention, you already know I'm talking about Range Energy and its battery-powered, e-axle equipped semi truck trailers.

The company was at ACT Expo this week, and announced that they've completed a multi-year winter testing program validating the performance of its production-ready eTrailer system, marking a key step toward commercial deployment of its trailer electrification platform. While there, Range's Vice President of Product, Collin MacGregor, took a few minutes in between sessions to talk a bit more about his big battery trailers, and we've got that interview right here.

Source Links

Range Energy’s electric trailer helps CA egg farm improve mpg by ‘up to 70%’

Range Energy announces two partners to electrify refrigerated trailers

Range Energy’s electric trailer can improve semi-truck mpg by 36%

Range Energy website

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

On this really quick episode of Quick Charge, we got the chance to sit down with The Mobility House North America's director of marketing communications, Dylan Gasperik, who talks ACT, V2G integration with Kia, utility programs, and how EVs strengthen – not weaken – the nation's straining energy grid.

Earlier this week, The Mobility House and Wallbox successfully installed and interconnected a Kia EV9 and Quasar 2 bidirectional charger in a San Diego County home, representing the first residential bidirectional charger interconnected in the County and an important step toward the broader adoption of bidirectional charging in residential settings in the US.

"This is an important milestone in the commercialization of vehicle-to-everything services for electric vehicle drivers," explains Russell Vare, VP of Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI), The Mobility House North America. "Many people don’t realize you need an interconnection approval with the utility, even if you only manage your home energy and never export power beyond the meter. We have accomplished this, and have gone one step further to enable the system to export power and realize the value of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)."

Also, there's this candidate for best show swag ever.

Chocowatt

Mobility House Chocowatt bar.

The news was announced at ACT Expo '26 as part of a broader effort to promote the work The Mobility House has been doing with utility and pilot programs across the country, and Dylan and I got a chance to talk about that, fleets, and more.

Source Links

The Mobility House North America website

Wallbox expands its bidirectional EV charger program in the US

Wallbox chargers enable Kia EV9s to power homes for the first time

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

On this really quick episode of Quick Charge, Slate Auto's Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Snyder believes his new truck is the right size and price to drive fleet adoption AND fandom. We only had a few minutes with Jeremy, and Slate is nearly ready for prime time!

Slate Auto had a well-optioned, work-focused version of their upcoming compact electric pickup on display at ACT Expo 2026. The preproduction truck was fitted with ladder racks and wrapped in white vinyl, and some of the staff on hand even teased a utility-style "van" body.

Regardless of which bodystyle you choose, Slate will offer its affordable trucks with a choice of two US-made SK On nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery packs – the base model gets 52.7 kWh and a 150 mile range while more upscale trucks get an 84.3 kWh battery with up to 240 miles of range. The two battery will be the only Slate option that gets installed at the factory (the rest of the available options will be installed by the "dealer" at the point of sale).

Source Links

Slate Auto website

Slate’s price-friendly electric pickup spotted testing in the snow

Slate pricing to be revealed in June, ‘Blank Slate’ truck still expected in the mid-$20k range

Slate Auto closes funding round with enough financial runway to reach next stage of production

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

On this really quick episode of Quick Charge, Greenlane announces it's taking its heavy-duty EV truck charging network beyond California, and bringing diesel-level charging access straight into one of the busiest freight corridors in Texas.

Greenlane CEO Patrick McDonald-King took to the ACT Expo stage today to follow up the company's completed expansion plans into the Lone Star State with news that the company had put pen to paper on deals with shipping and logistics firms Einride and Nevoya.

Once finished, the latest announced route will complete what’s often called the "Texas triangle," a region that connects Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio and plays a huge role in US logistics and hopefully provide a "rising tide" of EV charging infrastructure that genuinely works for OTR truckers.

Source Links

Texas-sized 10-4, good buddy: 40 electric semi trucks set to hit Texas' highway

Amazon taps Einride to scale electric semi truck fleet capacity, NOW

Greenlane launches a second long-haul EV truck corridor pilot

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

On today's totally true episode of Quick Charge, Fred returns from the Beijing Auto Show with a fresh look at the future of the car business, and a test drive in a 2nd generation Xiaomi SU7 does nothing to convince him that China hasn't just set the bar even higher.

We've also got news about the latest from VW's Chinese AUDI and JETTA brands, a passing glance at a big Buick concept with no windshield, and news about BYD's latest new flagship sedan that promises to bring the superfast charging fight to CATL.

Source Links

I went to the Beijing Auto Show and it’s a glimpse at the future of the auto industry

CATL says sodium batteries are mainstream-ready, signs massive 60 GWh deal

Xpeng VLA 2.0 test drive: Tesla is not alone with ‘Full Self-Driving’ anymore

BYD Seal 08 debuts with Blade Battery 2.0: 1,000 km range, 5-min charging, 684 hp

CATL says sodium batteries are mainstream-ready, signs massive 60 GWh deal

This US city is putting solar + batteries on 150 homes to cut bills

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

New episodes of Quick Charge are (allegedly) recorded several times per week, most weeks. We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage podcast series.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at [email protected]. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.

If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.