Oakridge Global Energy Solutions announced that it’s supplying custom-built batteries that will enable Freedom Trucking to keep its electric trucks traveling daily between Chicago and Minneapolis.Oakridge Global Energy Solutions in Florida recently announced that it will be supplying batteries to Freedom Trucking in Minnesota for a fully electric drivetrain which it says is capable of providing tractor-trailers with a 400-mile plus range.
Freedom Trucking reports that its proprietary logistical system powered by specially designed Oakridge lithium-ion batteries will put electric trucks with a gross weight of 80,000 pounds on the interstate moving product from Chicago to Minneapolis on a daily basis beginning in the later half of 2016.
“The custom battery design for Freedom Trucking is an absolute game changer,” says Oakridge Executive Chairman and CEO, Steve Barber. “We are excited to be working with Freedom Trucking and their team on such a revolutionary product.”
Freedom Trucking has been working on the design of the propulsion system with Ohio State University scientists and others for the past five years. Oakridge states that the system’s development had been hampered by inferior, imported batteries.
“We are all about game-changing technology and products at Oakridge. Oakridge is the ‘Made in the USA’ battery company that has the talent and technology to overcome these types of obstacles for our customers in designing state-of-the-art high performance custom battery systems,” says Barber.
“With our new custom battery systems, we have now greatly expanded the effective range of the electric truck, now making them a practical reality for immediate application to the interstate trucking business, while at the same time providing a much safer, low maintenance vehicle by virtue of the more robust chemistry and the battery management systems we have designed for this product.”
Using fully electric trucks to move cargo will save each truck in excess of 60 cents per mile over traditional diesel fuel according to initial analysis for Freedom Trucking by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, located in Palm Bay, Fla., manufacturers lithium-ion batteries for various applications, including electric and hybrid fleet vehicles, homes, businesses, medical devices, RVs, boats, motorcycles, jet skis, snow mobiles, cars and trucks.
