Edison Motors

#16: Slave Wages and Fake Shortages: Harman Bhangu on Trucking’s Broken System

Chase brings in MLA and former trucker Harman Bhangu to break down how the “driver shortage” is really a pay shortage, supercharged by the abuse of Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. They unpack how some carriers are charging migrants tens of thousands to come to Canada, trapping them in debt and closed work permits that amount to modern indentured servitude, while honest companies trying to pay fair wages get undercut and pushed out of the market. Harman explains why wages have stagnated, why families are choosing warehouses over the highway, and how Victoria’s out‑of‑touch policies are hollowing out the industry that keeps B.C.’s shelves stocked. From rallies and shop‑floor conversations to his jump into politics, he lays out what needs to change so trucking can be a respected, well‑paid career again instead of a race to the bottom.

#15: Dump the Oligarchs: Emily Lowan on Trucking, Migration, and Modern-Day Servitude

Chase sits down with BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan to dig into how Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program has become, in the UN’s own words, a “breeding ground for modern-day slavery.” They break down how closed work permits trap migrant truck drivers in indentured servitude, why fines against abusive carriers are meaningless, and how corporations use anti-immigrant rhetoric to keep workers fighting each other instead of the oligopolies driving wages down. Emily lays out concrete fixes, from ending closed permits and funding real enforcement, to large-scale regularization and permanent residency, while Chase connects it all back to what truckers lived through during Covid, the convoy, and the collapse of rest stops, showers, and basic dignity on the road. If you care about trucking, immigration, or the working class getting a fair shot, this is a conversation about possible ways to fight back together instead of buying the culture war spin.

#14: ConExpo Chaos: Bureaucrats, Border Drama, and the Texas Bed Truck

ConExpo might not have gotten the Edison truck, but it definitely got the full Edison Motors experience. In this episode, the crew breaks down how a simple trip to ConExpo Vegas turned into a masterclass in government red tape, border headaches, and creative problem solving when Environment Canada and the EPA blocked their hybrid truck and Border Security even blocked the axles from crossing the border. Instead of backing down, they built a booth around a brutally honest sign calling out “stupid government rules,” connected with fans, and turned a logistical disaster into one of the most talked about exhibits on the floor. The conversation goes deep into the design and purpose of a hybrid Texas bed winch tractor, explaining how this specialized oilfield truck can load its own 400‑barrel tanks, move rig mats, and stand tank farms while running fully electric on site to slash idle time and fuel burn. They lay out their plan to build two nearly identical trucks, one mechanical and one hybrid, to capture real world fuel savings data instead of just “math on paper,” making this episode a goldmine for anyone into heavy equipment, oilfield operations, or sustainable work trucks. Along the way, the guys share behind the scenes stories from the show floor, from being featured in multiple OEM and supplier booths to the infamous bare‑ass radiator photo prank that almost ended up on a giant trade show banner. It’s an unfiltered look at trade‑show politics, marketing that actually gets attention, and the reality of trying to push innovative hybrid truck technology through layers of bureaucracy. If you’re into diesel hybrids, heavy haul, oilfield trucks, Texas bed rigs, government overreach, or just chaotic small company hustle, this episode is packed with searchable keywords and stories that will keep fans and new listeners hooked.

#13: Undisclosed Trucks, Demolished Shops, and Go‑Kart Wars

Chase and the crew fire up the mics after a break to unload a ton of updates: delivering their first semi to Ontario (and what broke), winter EV battery headaches, undisclosed customer projects, Land Cruiser hybrid test results, ConExpo troubles, warehouse demolition, go-kart challenge plans, investor day camping chaos, and where the Royal winch tractor build is really at behind the scenes.

#12: Edison’s Winter Chaos - Broken Axles, Hybrid V4 Reveal, Shop Demolition & Sled Wrecks

This episode of the Edison Motors Podcast dives into the wild mix of building electric and hybrid trucks, fighting holiday shutdowns, and trying not to die on cheap mountain sleds in deep Golden, BC snow. Hear how the team is racing to finish the next winch tractor for CONEXPO in Vegas, lining up a road trip to CanSec in Ottawa, and scrambling around supplier delays, warped axle mounts, and wrong‑way parts that don’t fit until the last bolt proves them wrong. Chase, Yale, Jordan and Theron break down where the flagship electric truck build is really at, what went wrong with the Cummins X15 timing, and why welding distortion on the axle mounts turned into a full‑blown Christmas frustration video on YouTube. They talk about meeting rig‑up partners like Marsep and Peerless, why only two production bays changes everything, and how the plan is to build two identical hybrid trucks side by side instead of reinventing the wheel twice. On the hybrid side, Yale explains the complete redesign to the V4 hybrid platform: new battery system, integrated BMS, safer contactors inside the packs, fewer batteries (from six down to two), less weight, better packaging, and about thirty percent more horsepower out of the system while integrating motor controllers into the axles to cut EMI and simplify wiring. The crew also talks about new hires on the mechanical and electrical engineering teams and how getting the mechanical truck engineering done frees everyone to focus on the Royal hybrid and the Tolko logging truck hybrid builds. The guys explain why the old shop is getting torn down, how they scored a used CAT log loader for around seventy grand and put roughly thirty thousand into undercarriage and hydraulic work to handle demolition themselves, and how glulam beams and steel from the teardown will be repurposed into new offices, a proper merch store, and a media space. The episode also hits real‑world trucking life: holiday shutdowns in parts supply, engineers off while mechanics are still wrenching, waiting on cab mounts, axle mounts and critical components through the Christmas lull, and the headaches of rig‑up coordination when a mechanic drives all the way to Winnipeg without the parts he was supposed to bring. They talk about launching the Edison service truck as a mobile repair unit across the scales from the inspection station, how mechanics can use their “week off” for premium mobile work, and why field service is the best way to force engineers to experience what their designs are like to fix at night in the snow under a truck. Of course, it wouldn’t be Edison Motors without some chaos: deep snow around the property, a DIY toboggan/GT track off the front door, night sledding with the kids, and Chase and Yale learning the hard way how not to reverse a sled in powder and why rolling the sled is sometimes the only way out. There are stories of GT injuries, sketchy ten‑foot drops onto flats, and plans to groom the test track, drag an old truck box liner behind a sled to make cross‑country loops, and even build ski jumps on site. The crew also rants about winter driving in British Columbia: DriveBC not having a proper app, repeated Rogers Pass closures, avalanche control, idiots running four‑way flashers in every snowflake, and the real danger of hazard light fatigue or when you actually come across a broken‑down fuel truck with no lights on a steep mountain highway. Mixed in are candid shop stories about forgetting parts, turning around with critical pieces, and needing to tighten up processes as Edison scales from prototype chaos to a repeatable production operation. If you care about electric trucks, hybrid logging rigs, real blue‑collar engineering, and what it’s actually like to build a truck company in a snowy corner of British Columbia, this Edison Motors Podcast episode is packed with updates and stories straight from the shop floor and the sled trail.