Hardware to Save a Planet 70% Emissions Cut by Electrifying Trailers: The Green Future of Trucking
Jun 5, 2025
41:17
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett sits down with Jason Chua, Chief Product Officer at Range Energy, about a breakthrough in sustainable trucking. Discover how Range's electrified trailer retrofit cuts emissions by up to 70%, without replacing existing trucks. Jason shares how this smart, cost-effective solution helps fleets reduce fuel costs, extend electric range, and meet climate goals today. Learn why retrofitting trailers may be the fastest path to decarbonizing the trucking industry.
What you will learn:
- How Range's trailer electrification system achieves 70% emissions reduction
- Why retrofitting existing trailers is a faster path to decarbonization
- The technical breakthrough of trailer-based propulsion
- How electrified trailers can extend the range of electric trucks from 70 to 280 miles
- Why the 3-5 year payback period makes the technology commercially viable today
- How Range's partnership approach with industry incumbents accelerates adoption
- The role of smart sensors and controls in making the system "plug and play" for fleets
- Why refrigerated trucking represents a prime early market for trailer electrification
- How Range's solution helps fleets meet both sustainability and operational goals
- The importance of designing climate solutions that work within existing constraints
Jason Chua is the Chief Product Officer at Range Energy, where he leads the development of electrification solutions to decarbonize the trucking industry. A seasoned product and strategy executive, he co-founded Universal Hydrogen and previously led hybrid-electric aircraft initiatives at United Technologies and Airbus. Jason’s work spans startups, Fortune 50s, and academia, with award-winning innovations including Google’s Project Ara. He focuses on human-centered design and brings a practical, cross-disciplinary approach to building sustainable technologies with real-world impact.
Episode Resource
- Jason Chua on LinkedIn
- Range Energy Website
- Dylan Garrett on LinkedIn
- Synapse Podcast Website
- Synapse Website
- Hardware to Save a Planet Apple Podcasts
- Hardware to Save a Planet Spotify
Hardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
If you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.
Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
If you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.
Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.
Check out our three most downloaded episodes:
- Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche Energy
- The Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESS
- Marine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon Marine
If you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn