Edison Motors has introduced a duo of diesel-electric pickup trucks, and a kit is forthcoming.

      Edison Motors and Deboss Garage via YouTube

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      The team at Edison Motors is doing something noteworthy. They’ve constructed several diesel-electric, series-hybrid semi trucks, and now they’ve added a couple of pickups to their lineup. These vehicles—a second-generation Ram and a 79-Series Toyota Land Cruiser—act as proof of concept for the Canadian company’s future swap kits. The concept is that, with Edison’s technology, any pickup manufactured in the last sixty years can be upgraded to utilize a diesel-electric powertrain.

      Chace Barber, Edison’s president and co-founder, is quite resourceful. I interviewed him last year for a video on The Drive’s YouTube channel, and I was thoroughly impressed with his vision for creating future-ready machinery that realistically integrates electrification. The company made a smart choice by partnering with Rich Bosch from Deboss Garage, who now serves as Edison’s Vice President of Work Truck Fabrication, essentially making him the chief designer for this pickup project.

      Both builds are powered by a 2.8-liter Cummins diesel crate engine. This four-cylinder engine activates a generator attached to the back, generating electricity that is stored in a battery placed between the frame rails, eventually supplying power to a pair of e-axles that deliver immediate torque to the wheels rather than going through a transfer case. It’s a clever system that combines the advantages of silent electric operation with a self-replenishing range provided by the small-displacement diesel engine.

      These kits are still under development, so some components may look different when they hit the market. For instance, the Land Cruiser’s bed-mounted EV cooling system is being redesigned to be compact enough to fit beneath the bed, maintaining the usability of a factory truck. In contrast, the second-generation Ram’s bed is entirely free of such features, and you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s a series-hybrid just by looking at the e-axles.

      Edison is not cutting corners with its trucks, collaborating with domestic companies and global suppliers to create practical products for those who need and want them. This isn’t typical behavior for every startup out there; many generate hype merely to attract investment. Barber and his team have openly acknowledged when an idea hasn’t worked out, which is uncommon in this industry.

      What they’re doing is genuinely intelligent, taking series-hybrid drivetrain technology, which has been utilized in locomotives for over a century, and adapting it for trucks. They are also flexible in their approach; as Barber mentioned, they are considering offering their own rolling chassis with electrified powertrains pre-installed, so all that’s needed is to place a pickup body on top.

      We’ll see what Edison has planned next, but this appears to be a positive development.