Ecolution harnessing kinetic energy to power refrigerated trailers
Ecolution KWH, an e-mobility and power company with U.S headquarters in Naples FL, recently received a U.S. patent for reusing wasted kinetic energy in refrigerated trailers used to distribute food and medicine.
When combined with an electric or hydrogen-fueled truck, such as those being developed by Tesla and others, the Ecolution trailer accomplishes a total elimination of carbon emissions plaguing the multi-billion dollar global industry, the company said.
“Almost everyone believes that e-mobility is the future for heavy-duty trucks,” said Craig Bouchard, executive chairman of Ecolution. “Now we’ve delivered the business case. Refrigerated trailers (and train cars) create some of the most damaging environmental problems of our generation. Net-zero carbon emissions in food distribution is the only solution to this global problem.”
Ecolution’s “green perfect cycle” Module Active Response System (MARS) replaces the diesel gas tank and TRU Genset units typically used in reefer trailers to refrigerate produce and medicine on the way to retail stores and outlets with swappable batteries. As a result, it can reduce the average weight of a refrigerated trailer by 1,200 pounds, increasing the hauling capacity of the trailer, while delivering greater battery life for the electric truck.
The key MARS-patented innovation is the use of alternators connected to disc brakes in the trailer, sending power through a converter to a battery storage unit for on-demand energy, all within the reefer trailer. The company now has four patents pending in Germany, Japan, China and South Korea. The invention, under research and development for five years, now goes into a prototype in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia.
“The beauty of the discovery is in its simplicity, and because the battery unit is located in the trailer, second life Tesla and other electric vehicle batteries can be recycled, helping to eliminate yet another environmental problem,” said Johanne Medina Then, chief executive officer of Ecolution.
The Ecolution board boasts several prominent industry figures, including:
- Richard Giromini, former CEO and president of Wabash National Corporation, North America’s largest producer of semi-trailers and liquid transportation systems
- Ernest Higa, president and CEO of Higa Industries Co. and CEO of Wendy’s Japan
- Jack Greenberg, former Cchairman and CEO of McDonald’s Corp
- William Farley, industrialist and founder/CEO of Fruit of the Loom
- Randolph Read, CEO of Nevada Strategic Credit Investments and a close business colleague of philanthropist Michael Milken
- Craig Bouchard, executive chairman of Ecolution and founder of three separate billion-dollar metals companies
The Ecolution patents also apply to the generation of electricity in commuter, subway and freight train businesses, the company added.
“The use case for Ecolution is even starker at the point of delivery, where there is a shortage of cold storage space in grocery stores,” said Johnny Then Gautier, chief technology officer. “Reefers are often placed for hours or days in the parking lot, burning diesel to power their generators while they wait. That creates a serious noise, health and environmental problem.”
