Canada invests in hybrid log trucks

As part of #EVWeekinCanada, a $1.7-million investment in FPInnovations was announced to develop and demonstrate hybrid diesel-electric forestry harvesting trucks and help green transportation in Canada’s forestry sector.

FPInnovations will retrofit two conventional forestry tractor-trailers into electric-hybrid tractor-trailers. This will be achieved by equipping two forestry trailers with electric drive axles that will assist the diesel-powered trucks, resulting in reduced fuel consumption and improved traction over challenging terrain.

The hybrid semi-trailer prototypes will be driven in real-world conditions in the provinces of British Columbia and Quebec, including over steep slopes, long distances and difficult road conditions, to evaluate the proposed configurations.

Transportation costs make up more than 50 percent of forestry production costs in Canada, with 30 percent of those being from fuel. Favouring hybrid solutions as opposed to diesel equipment will reduce GHG and fuel usage, making Canada’s forest sector more competitive. Simulations have demonstrated that fuel consumption can be reduced by up to 15 percent, which represents a reduction of about 40 tonnes of GHG per truck per year.

British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, TYCROP Trailers, Deloupe, LTS Marine, Arrow Transportation Systems, Boisaco, Dana TM4, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hendrickson, Mack Ste-Foy, Meritor, Michelin, PMG Technologies, Promark Electronics, and Star Express are also contributing to this initiative, bringing the total project investment to over $2.4 million.

The project is funded through Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Growth Program, which invests in clean technology research and development projects in Canada’s energy, mining and forest sectors. The program is a $155-million investment fund that helps advance emerging clean technologies toward commercial readiness so that natural resource operations can further reduce their environmental impacts while enhancing competitiveness and creating jobs.