A partnership between Trova Commercial Vehicles and Chateau Energy Solutions offers an opportunity to accelerate deployment of commercial electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. It will do this by providing diesel-to-electric (D2E) Class 8 vehicle refits, new Class 8 battery-electric yard trucks, and reliable charging infrastructure to commercial fleets.

TrovaCV’s aim is to provide OEMs with a way to build more electric vehicles at a lower cost through its customized engineering, design, and manufacturing expertise. The company also developed its own new electric terminal truck, which it displayed at the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council expo, where company officials told reporters about the companies’ approach to fleet electrification.

Simplifying the Fleet Electrification Process

Chateau Energy Solutions provides turnkey electric vehicle charging solutions to commercial fleets, utilities, workplace, multi-family, and retail sectors. The company has already helped some of the largest fleets in the nation develop and deploy world-class EV programs, it says.

The collaboration between TrovaCV and Chateau Energy Solutions will ensure that commercial fleet owners have experts to guide them through the complete fleet electrification process, from the procurement of electric vehicles to the deployment of EV charging infrastructure.

“We know that a complete end-to-end solution is necessary for fleets to transition to battery-electric trucks,” explained Patrick Collignon, TrovaCV founder and CEO and former chief operating officer for Volvo Trucks North and South America. “With Chateau Energy Solutions, we have a partner with many years of experience. Not only is the total cost of ownership impacted by the acquisition cost of the vehicle, it also depends heavily on the level of investment needed for electric infrastructure.”

The two companies complement each other and simplify the fleet conversion process for fleet managers.

“Ordering new battery-electric vehicles is exciting for fleets, yet they are quickly met by the realities of complex electrical infrastructure upgrades, disruptive construction, and frustrating permitting processes,” said Chateau Energy Solutions COO Todd Jarvis. “Our customers draw on our team’s nearly 15 years of experience energizing EV charging infrastructure to streamline the design, development, and deployment.”

Class 8 Electric Refits

Trova has developed a new chassis platform tailored for the integration of battery electric drivelines. The key feature, Trova said, is the central mounting of battery packs, offering more safety against side impact accidents and better vehicle stability with optimized weight distribution.

By integrating the batteries into the chassis, Trova said, it can build an electric drayage truck weighing almost the same as the original diesel version.

Trova’s D2E program replaces the existing diesel engine with an electric powertrain, doubling the lifespan of the existing truck fleet. TrovaCV said a Class 8 diesel truck can be repowered within 48 working hours at roughly half the cost of a new battery-electric truck.

“The D2E program does not compete with existing OEMs’ new BEV product offerings, but rather it is a new market opportunity which we believe will exist for some 20 years to come,” the company noted in a backgrounder accompanying the press package.

A New Terminal Truck

Trova unveiled a new spotter truck at the TMC meeting. The assembled chassis uses high-strength steel. The chassis rails form the base for battery packing. Trova said it can package up to 200Kwh of storage capacity inside the chassis frame, enough for two full back-to-back shifts.

The high-visibility cab was inspired by other vehicle applications requiring high visibility, such as harvesters, material handling equipment and buses.

The fifth-wheel lift uses a compact lifting mechanism for more compact packaging.

Also, the high-voltage architecture is said to be identical to the company’s D2E solution with a modular compact design, making it easier to maintain. The electric driveline is based on an axial flux motor combination, which offers higher energy density compared to traditional permanent magnet motors with almost no need for rare earth metals, according to the company.