☕ On-the-road exchange

Does battery swapping make sense for semis?

April 10, 2024 PRESENTED BY It's Wednesday. Battery swapping hasn't taken off for passenger vehicles in the US like it has in China, but one company is thinking bigger, literally, in introducing the tech for semi trucks making long-haul trips. In today's edition: Revoy puts a twist on battery swapping to electrify long-haul routes Why Ford and Tesla are pulling back on new EVs The average American's internet bill is rising —Jordyn Grzelewski, Kelcee Griffis, Annie Saunders FUTURE OF TRAVEL Swap with me? Revoy Time is money. That's the reality for commercial fleet operators, whose success depends on their ability to efficiently run the delivery routes that ensure store shelves are stocked. The looming prospect of electrification of the heavy-duty vehicle sector complicates this proposition; charging an electric semi takes longer than fueling up with diesel. And electric batteries add weight to vehicles that are subject to payload restrictions. Enter Revoy, a California-based startup CEO Ian Rust founded in 2021 based on a simple premise: What if the calculus of going electric didn't have to be so complicated? Revoy's tech is a twist on a technology that's a familiar concept within the EV sector: battery swapping. The idea? Avoid lengthy charging times, battery degradation, and power grid strains by simply giving drivers the option to swap one battery for another when they're low on power. Revoy's take on that is to offer a swappable solution for semis. Revoy recently debuted what it describes as an "electric dolly" that can integrate with semi trucks and then be swapped out for fully charged ones. The product can essentially turn a diesel-powered semi into a hybrid vehicle, or it can serve as a range extender for an electric semi. Here's how it works: Revoy's add-ons are charged and ready to go at stations along long-haul routes. Drivers stop and attach the product between the tractor and trailer, a process that Rust says takes less than five minutes. Drivers can then get back on the road and drive on electric power; Revoy claims their product enables three to five time gains in fuel efficiency. Drivers can then stop at the next station and swap out the electric product for a fully charged one. "What's really important is that it's completely seamless," Rust told Tech Brew. "There's no modifications needed whatsoever to the diesel truck itself. Someone could have heard about it five minutes ago, and they can hook it up and instantly hit the road and run on drastically less diesel and way lower emissions." Keep reading here.—JG PRESENTED BY INTERCOM The future of customer service is AI-first You've probably heard the saying "Better, faster, cheaper: you can only pick two." That's the rule, right? But when it comes to customer service, AI is changing everything. Intercom is all in on AI—and their new AI-first customer service platform is built so nobody has to compromise: 50% of customers have their issues resolved by AI in seconds Support teams are using Fin AI Copilot, Intercom's new personal AI assistant for every agent, to improve efficiency by 31% And leaders report happy customers and productive teams...all on budget. Better, faster, or cheaper? Go ahead. Pick all three. Intercom. AI-first customer service. Learn more here. FUTURE OF TRAVEL Pump the brakes Unsplash In the latest sign that the EV transition isn't exactly going smoothly, Ford said last week that it's delaying some of its upcoming EV launches and doubling down on hybrids. Then, shock waves rippled across Wall Street when Reuters reported that Tesla was shelving its much-anticipated $25,000 EV, which was slated to debut next year. What's going on here? "Manufacturers over-anticipated the conversion to EVs and under-anticipated the competition from every other manufacturer," Sam Fiorani, VP of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told Tech Brew. "There are just far too many EVs available on the market for the demand that exists." Keep reading here.—JG CONNECTIVITY 'Net spending Damircudic/Getty Images If you feel like your home internet service is getting more expensive, you're not alone. According to a US News & World Report survey released April 2, the average monthly broadband bill is $89, compared with an average initial cost of $77 a month. The results of the late-2023 survey, which queried "2,500 Americans about their internet bill costs over time, their internet service reliability, and how satisfied they are with the internet service they get for their money," showed that broadband costs are trending upward. "Not surprisingly, the cost of internet service—like that of many other basic expenses, including groceries and utilities—has been rising, and the price users pay tends to increase over time," the report said. Keep reading here.—KG TOGETHER WITH SCSP Get briefed on breakthroughs. Wanna stay on the pulse of tech and national security? The AI Expo for National Competitiveness is your chance. Taking place in Washington, DC, from May 7–8, this event features industry, government, and academic research entities exhibiting the latest breakthroughs in AI, energy, and more. Attendance is free. BITS AND BYTES Stat: 60%. That's how much internet traffic dropped in Vermont during Monday's solar eclipse, according to Cloudflare, which compiled data on how much internet traffic dipped along the path of totality. Quote: "This is the initial crescendo of loud response…It will never go away, but I think the initial shock and awe will calm down a little bit."—Che Chang, general counsel for OpenAI, in a Washington Post story on the AI company's legal woes Read: How tech giants cut corners to harvest data for AI (the New York Times) AI-first customer service: The future of customer service is here with Intercom's AI-first platform. The result? Happier customers and more efficient teams—all on budget. Learn more.* *A message from our sponsor. JOBS Forget generic job searches. CollabWORK leverages the power of community to connect you with relevant opportunities in Slack channels, Discord servers, and newsletters like Tech Brew. Land your dream job through the power of your network with CollabWORK. Senior Product Manager at Walmart (In-Person) Senior Product Manager at Unisys (Hybrid) Senior Software Engineer at Wintrust Financial (Remote) SHARE THE BREW Share Tech Brew with your coworkers, acquire free Brew swag, and then make new friends as a result of your fresh Brew swag. We're saying we'll give you free stuff and more friends if you share a link. One link. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: emergingtechbrew.com/r/?kid=b3968dba Written by Jordyn Grzelewski, Kelcee Griffis, and Annie Saunders Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.   Guide → What is AI?   Guide → What is 5G? Take The Brew to work Marketers: Marketing Brew Corporate: CFO Brew   HR Brew Tech: IT Brew   Retailers: Retail Brew Healthcare: Healthcare Brew Get smarter in just 5 minutes Business News: Morning Brew Money & Career: Money With Katie   Bossy Interested in podcasts? 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