The CEC awarded a contract to Wrightspeed in 2010 to verify the manufacture, testing and installation of a range extending electric vehicle drive system for medium and heavy-duty trucks. This hypothetical system titled The Route™ (then called the Digital Drive System) was developed in 2010 and 2011 and the completion of two prototypes occurred in 2012. The Route™ consists of a retrofit kit to replace a trucks engine, transmission, axle, prop shaft and certain electronic components. The Route™ is a highly advanced Digital Drive system that relies on a set of electric motors, gearboxes, batteries, inverters and a range extending turbine generator engine that is capable of recharging the battery during driving of the vehicle. The project meets the principle goals of the CEC for research and development of the Clean Transportation Program.
The project tasks include the development of hardware and software to demonstrate the retrofit kits be installed in class 3 - 6 truck with maximum governed speed of 75 miles per hour, an all-electric range of 30 miles, hybrid electric range of 400 miles and a fuel efficiency improvement of 100 percent over a 70 mile range. The objective includes a validation that the factory processes to manufacture and configure these retrofit kits result in correct installations, with specified performance and efficiency.
