Merritt TikTok star develops prototype for electric semi-truck
With a lot of time to think on the road, a Merritt semi-truck driver decided to bring his ideas to life.
It started during the pandemic when Chace Barber gathered millions of likes and more than 700,000 followers on TikTok for showing what it's like to be a logging truck driver in B.C.
Then after five years of touting the idea of an electric semi-truck with his now business partner and power system engineer, Eric Little, the pair decided to bring the idea to life. Barber began using his large social media presence to promote the concept. Little is also the CEO of Solar Energy Innovations, local a manufacturer and installer of solar equipment.
“A lot of it is just too much time behind the wheel thinking,” Barber said, adding he started thinking about running the truck like a freight train, using a diesel generator into an electric motor.
Their business, Edison Motors, aims to create diesel generator-powered electric logging vehicles that are created in Merritt.
The pair started by retrofitting a 1962 Kenworth with a 3306 CAT diesel generator charging a battery bank. Since then, they held a TikTok contest to determine the vehicle’s new design, and had more than 90 participants submit ideas.
READ MORE: TRU alumnus gains massive TikTok following with trucker videos
After a vote, they selected a design that will use a log skidder cab and put it on a long-nose truck, making it easy to work on and offering great visibility in the bush, Barber said.
“We’re just laying the frame rails down right now and we’re going to build our own cab and our own design of cab and body,” he said.
The pair is testing their new model and Barber said it’ll probably take about a year before it’s ready for retrofitted kits and mass production.
“It’s basically just a whole lot of driving it around, figuring out what works, figuring out what breaks,” Barber said.
In Canada, TikTok doesn’t pay Canadians directly and Barber said he doesn’t want to rely on sponsorships for cash. Instead, the pair held a crowdfunding event and promoted it on social media and Barber continues to update his audience with how the process is going.
“It’s kind of really cool. We’re kind of living our dream right now… it’s gone beyond our expectations anyways,” Barber said. “I can’t believe it actually worked, that’s the most exciting part.”
The pair have now about 15 people working on the project.
To learn more about Edison Motors, visit the duo’s website.
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