[Video] Trailer electrification company Range Energy winter tests electric trailer system
This year’s testing was conducted at the Smithers Winter Proving Ground in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a facility used by major automakers and commercial vehicle manufacturers for cold-weather vehicle handling and validation. Watch the video here.
Range Energy has recently announced the successful completion of its multi-year winter testing program, validating the performance, safety, and reliability of its production-ready eTrailer system under extreme cold weather conditions. This year’s testing was conducted at the Smithers Winter Proving Ground in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, a facility used by major automakers and commercial vehicle manufacturers for cold-weather vehicle handling and validation.
Indeed, Range conducted its initial winter testing program in 2025 using a prototype system, which validated core performance and safety capabilities in extreme conditions and laid the foundation for the production-ready platform demonstrated in this year’s testing.
Range Energy’s electric trailer system
Conducted in sub-zero temperatures and challenging road conditions, the tests had the target to evaluate traction control, regenerative braking, thermal management, and overall vehicle handling. More into details, the program included a series of real-world maneuvers such as emergency stops, sharp turns, and rapid lane changes designed to simulate the most demanding scenarios drivers encounter in winter conditions. Results confirmed that the production eTrailer system enhances control and safety in extreme cold.
Installed directly onto a standard semi-trailer, the system developed by Range Energy integrates a 250 kW e-motor, inverter, gearbox, suspension, regenerative braking, and 200 kWh or 300 kWh of onboard batteries. According to the company, this enables immediate tractor fuel savings, eliminating diesel use for refrigerated units, and powering a wide range of trailer systems without requiring changes to driver workflows or charging infrastructure.
“Completing this second testing program on a production-ready system is a critical milestone for Range as it shows our system can maintain top performance in real-world operations,” said Collin MacGregor, VP of Product, Safety, and Systems at Range. “We’ve demonstrated not only that our technology delivers meaningful performance improvements, but that it does so reliably even in the toughest environments that fleets face. That level of validation is essential as we scale manufacturing and bring this platform to the road.”
