Israeli submarine technology set to green the trucking industry

Game-changing technology developed by Teva uses the generator to recharge the truck’s electric battery while the vehicle is in motion, extending the driving range by 440 kilometers.

Teva developed software calculates the most efficient use of the battery and tells the range extender when to boot up.

Submarines and electric battery-powered trucks might seem as odd a mix as water and oil, but the connection runs deep and Israeli. British-Israeli firm Tevva has figured out how to use electric battery technology originally developed to power submarines in its eco-friendly trucks.

Investors are now taking notice big time. The Indian auto component giant Bharat Forge has made a $13 million investment in the company with the hopes of not only getting electric trucks on the British roads but bringing the concept to India as well.

Tevva was founded by an Israeli, who served in the Israeli navy and took note of how Israel’s submarines were being powered during long missions at sea.

Teva has turned that know-how into a combination of an onboard generator, a 74 kWh battery, and a small internal combustion engine. It creates “the greenest trucks… around the globe.”

The tech mashup, which uses the generator to recharge the battery while the truck is in motion, gives Teva’s electric trucks “a game-changing unlimited range,” the company said in a news release.

A Teva battery can last for 160 kilometers on its own; with the range extender, that goes up to 600 kilometers – an important consideration given that many trucks travel for 10-12 hours a day.

“Pure electric never caught on with trucks for fear that the battery would run out,” is a common knowledge in the industry.

Teva has its own software called PREMS (Predictive Range Extender Management System), which ensures that only a vehicle’s electric drive will be turned on when the truck is traveling in low carbon zones and through city centers.

The software’s algorithms automatically calculate the most efficient use of the battery and tell the range extender when to boot up. No input is needed from the driver. Jumping on the self-driving buzzword bandwagon, Teva calls PREMS “autonomous energy management.”

Teva was founded in Israel but moved the company’s headquarters to the United Kingdom to take advantage of Britain’s strong automotive hardware ecosystem. Teva has an R&D office in Tel Aviv.

Teva's technology was inspired by technologies used in Israeli submarines.

Teva doesn’t make trucks. Baba Kalyani, chairman and managing director of Bharat Forge, said that his company’s investment will bring Teva's “very focused and state-of-the-art EV powertrain solutions to our customers in India and worldwide.”

Along with the investment, Bharat Forge has acquired a license for the commercialization of Teva's technology in India.

Teva has already scored a win beyond Bharat Forge: delivery company UPS has ordered 15 Tevva trucks after putting one through its paces during a recently-concluded 13-month trial. Switzerland-based transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel has also placed an order.

An additional $2.4 million was co-invested by Teva's original backers, bringing the total for this round to $15.6 million.