Collingwood, Ont., company creates cutting edge electric truck technology
The future of trucking could be coming from technology built in Simcoe County.
Collingwood, Ont., company, MEDATech, is rolling out an all-electric highway tractor trailer capable of hauling a 40,000-kilogram load.
The team of about 40 employees has been working on the system for three years and is shipping them to Canadian and international worksites looking to go green.
"We've built a system that will be going to Australia on another pilot project, and it's about a 1,100-kilowatt drive train, so that's power and about 400-kilowatt hours of energy storage, so we keep getting the need to go bigger and better in the drive trains," said Robert Rennie, MEDATech owner.
A Collingwood, Ont., engineering company developed the first all-electric on-highway haul truck. (MEDATech)
The company has shipped an electrified Western Star 4900EX tractor to a copper-mining facility in Ashcroft, British Columbia, where there is a goal of reducing the carbon intensity of its operations by 33 per cent by 2030 and becoming a carbon-neutral operator by 2050.
According to MEDATech, the truck will make 95-kilometre round trips by workday and is projected to eliminate 418 tonnes of CO2 annually while reducing costs through fuel savings and lower maintenance.
"The transportation and shipping sectors that are sources of substantial amounts of greenhouse gas emissions will need to go through a serious transformation to reduce those emissions, so in order to achieve that, you need viable alternatives," said Erman Sener, project manager at Trillium Network.
Sener said that although electric trucks are likely the future of transportation in Canada, they need to be affordable and produce the same output for companies to make the change.
"These need to be cost-effective, and they need to satisfy performance requirements of the industry," said Sener via Zoom.
A Collingwood, Ont., engineering company developed the first all-electric on-highway haul truck. (MEDATech)
The work at MEDATech could be the start of something more. The Town of Collingwood has launched a program called Tech Hub North intended to encourage more tech companies to call the area home.
"We're looking at creating lifestyles where people can live and work in an area where they want to be in and also have jobs that are well paying and pushing forward an agenda of progressive, innovative products like this," said former Collingwood mayor and current Simcoe-Grey MPP Brian Saunderson.
MEDATech is sending its equipment to an Australian mining company next year which will be the first time its ALTDRIVE™ technology heads overseas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NORAD tracking high-altitude surveillance balloon detected over the U.S., Canada says
The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.
Nearly 6 in 10 public transit users say they feel less safe commuting after string of violent attacks
After a string of violent attacks on public transit in Toronto and other cities, a new survey has found that nearly six in 10 public transit users in Canada say they feel less safe or somewhat less safe while commuting.
Migrant workers sneak secret menus into Canadian restaurants to expose exploitation
Hundreds of customers who scan QR codes for restaurant menus across Canada are being surprised by secret menus instead, revealing the hidden costs behind the food they eat.
Woman says Russian Embassy denies her consular services, cites Facebook page
A Russian woman says she has been denied consular services by her country's embassy in Canada over claims her Facebook activity poses a security threat.
Why Delissio pizzas and other Nestle products will disappear from Canadian stores
Nestle Canada says it is winding down its frozen meals and pizza business in Canada over the next six months. The four brands that will no longer be sold in the freezer aisle at Canadian grocery stores are Delissio, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine and Life Cuisine.
W5 Investigates
W5 Investigates | Lebanese-Canadian family of 3-year-old killed in Beirut blast still searching for accountability, answers
More than two years after downtown Beirut was levelled by an explosion, a Lebanese-Canadian family of a 3-year-old girl killed in the blast is still searching for answers. Watch W5's documentary 'The Explosion' on CTV at 7 p.m.
Would you pay $300 a year for quick access to a nurse? Dealing with demand, Ontario doctors get creative
Paid subscriptions to on-demand care are among the many strategies primary health-care providers in Ontario are adopting in order to meet increased demand for access to doctors in the past year, while also managing staffing shortages.
Provincial and territorial finance ministers to meet in Toronto
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is hosting an in-person meeting today with the provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto.
Criticism of Trudeau increases in Western Canada: poll
A new survey conducted by Research Co. reveals that more people in Western Canada now support a change in the federal government compared to a similar poll from June.
Atlantic
-
Storm Watch: School closures in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick
Here is a list of school closures and cancellations for Friday, February 3, 2023.
-
Extra spaces open at shelters ahead of freezing temperatures; heat pump users warned of pipe bursts
An extreme cold warning has been issued across the region, with some saying the arctic air could break record-low temperatures in the Maritimes.
-
Extreme cold warnings issued for all three Maritime provinces
On the day that Shubenacadie Sam predicted six more weeks of winter, there are extreme cold warnings cautioning that the coldest air of the season is about to arrive in the Maritimes.
Montreal
-
EXTREME COLD
EXTREME COLD | Hydro-Quebec asks customers to reduce electricity consumption during cold snap
Hydro-Québec is asking its customers to take a few steps to reduce electricity consumption in Quebec as a period of intense cold weather began Thursday night in most regions. The utility predicts that on Friday and Saturday, electricity demand could exceed the historical peak consumption, which was about 40,500 megawatts (MW) in January 2022.
-
'It just takes one bad dose': Coroner rules NDG fixture Sean Abbott died from overdose
A beloved man who was a fixture on the streets of Montreal's Notre-Dame-de-Grace neighbourhood died last year from a combination of street drugs in his system, including fentanyl, a coroner has ruled.
-
New work to begin Monday at the Highway 15/440 interchange in Laval
Construction of the new overhead ramp from Highway 440 westbound to Highway 15 northbound in Laval will begin next Monday and will take three years. The ramp repair is part of the second phase of the project to make the interchange safer and improve mobility. A redevelopment of the exit leading from Highway 440 westbound to Industriel Boulevard is also planned.
Ottawa
-
EXTREME COLD WARNING
EXTREME COLD WARNING | Deep freeze hits Ottawa, wind chill drops below -40
Ottawa and eastern Ontario residents woke up to dangerously cold temperatures on Friday, with the wind chill making it feel colder than -40.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | Winterlude returns to Ottawa and Gatineau
Winterlude kicks off in Ottawa and Gatineau today, as the national capital region's winter festival returns with in-person activities for the first time in three years.
-
NEW THIS MORNING
NEW THIS MORNING | What's happening in Ottawa this weekend: Feb. 3-5
CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at things to do in Ottawa, eastern Ontario and western Quebec during the first weekend of February.
Toronto
-
Extreme cold blast of Arctic air reaches most of Ontario
Those heading outside this morning are being advised to bundle up as the Greater Toronto Area and nearly all of Ontario experience a bout of bone-chilling cold.
-
NEW
NEW | More than 70 per cent of Ontarians feel less safe on transit than a year ago, survey suggests
About 71 per cent of Ontarians feel less or somewhat less safe using public transportation than they did a year ago, a new survey suggests.
-
'We win or it’s free' paralegal bribed court clerk in traffic ticket fixing scheme: testimony alleges
A paralegal firm whose tagline is “we win or it’s free” bribed a Toronto traffic court clerk to change legal records to make it look like they had won, said the clerk in the first time he has testified publicly about the case.
Kitchener
-
Multiple people arrested, one injured in reported armed robbery at Conestoga Mall
Police say they’ve arrested multiple people and one person was taken to hospital following reports of an armed robbery at Conestoga Mall on Thursday.
-
-
WRPS issue robbery warning following string of store robberies
Waterloo regional police issued a robbery warning Thursday evening after they said two convenience stores and a restaurant in Kitchener were robbed within a 30 minute span.
London
-
Bus cancellations and road conditions
Extreme Cold and snow squall warnings are impacting roads and schools in the region.
-
Investigation underway in near east London
Police and London fire are on scene in the area of Adelaide Street north between Pall Mall Street and Piccadilly Street.
-
'Chloe was a bright light': Former cheerleading coach remembers victim of fatal south London crash
One person has died and four others were sent to hospital after a two-vehicle crash in south London Wednesday night. She has since ben identified by her former cheerleading coach as 19-year-old Chloe Mackenzie.
Northern Ontario
-
Fight between two 7-year-olds turns violent after mom gets involved
An argument between two young children playing outside together escalated to violence when a parent got involved, a North Bay mom says.
-
Migrant workers sneak secret menus into Canadian restaurants to expose exploitation
Hundreds of customers who scan QR codes for restaurant menus across Canada are being surprised by secret menus instead, revealing the hidden costs behind the food they eat.
-
NORAD tracking high-altitude surveillance balloon detected over the U.S., Canada says
The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.
Windsor
-
Frigid temperatures in Windsor-Essex
Windsor-Essex has once again escaped the warnings and snow that is blanketing the rest of southern Ontario.
-
Suspects 'distracted the staff' and stole $5,000 in tools: Windsor police
Windsor police say they are looking for five suspects who used a distraction technique to steal $5,000 in tools.
-
Addictions experts urge caution ahead of Super Bowl
Addiction specialists in Windsor, Ont. are urging caution about the dangers of problem gambling with Super Bowl season around the corner. According to officials at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, demand for recovery services has climbed since single-event sports betting became legal in Canada last August.
Calgary
-
Calgary office vacancy rate declining as business community returning to city's core
After years of decline, demand for Calgary's downtown commercial real estate is showing signs of returning to life.
-
Provincial and territorial finance ministers to meet in Toronto
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is hosting an in-person meeting today with the provincial and territorial finance ministers in Toronto.
-
NORAD tracking high-altitude surveillance balloon detected over the U.S., Canada says
The Department of National Defence says Canada is working with the United States to protect sensitive information from foreign intelligence threats after a high-altitude surveillance balloon was detected.
Saskatoon
-
Former student says she was 'groomed' by Saskatoon educator accused of sexual assault
Aaron Benneweis, 46, has been charged by Saskatoon Police with sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a minor while in a position of trust or authority.
-
Former Sask. Energy worker believes cancer is linked to gas exposure on the job
Brian Hodgkinson always knew there was benzene in natural gas — after all, he spent 40 years working with it for SaskPower, then SaskEnergy.
-
Report calling on city to create warning system for drivers during heavy rain, flooding
A report written and reviewed by Saskatoon Water is calling on the city to create a warning system, in particular for drivers, when roadways become “dangerously flooded” due to heavy rain.
Edmonton
-
If EPS, sheriffs try a hard crackdown on inner-city Edmonton it could make things worse: criminologist
A former Edmonton Police Service officer believes bringing Alberta Sheriffs into downtown Edmonton is a risky plan that has the potential to backfire if not done properly.
-
'Escalating violence' contributes to closure of Edmonton senior's centre: board of directors
The Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS) announced Wednesday that it would be shutting down services at the McCauley Seniors drop-in facility.
-
Criticism of Trudeau increases in Western Canada: poll
A new survey conducted by Research Co. reveals that more people in Western Canada now support a change in the federal government compared to a similar poll from June.
Vancouver
-
Daughter speaks out after Mounties charged in death of Indigenous man in Prince George
CTV News has learned that four of five RCMP officers facing charges in the death of an Indigenous man during an arrest in Prince George are still on active duty.
-
Killer sentenced to 15 years in 2020 South Vancouver slaying
A man who was gunned down outside of his business in South Vancouver never got the chance to meet his daughter, a court heard as his killer was sentenced.
-
Ad for tap-to-donate teddy bear designed for street youth is part of provocative campaign
A nationwide billboard campaign that appears to promote grunge-chic clothing for street youth is causing confusion and igniting debate.