Orange EV, a U.S.-based electric yard truck manufacturer, has partnered with charging technology company OptiGrid to introduce the Orange Juicer™, a battery-integrated DC fast charger designed to reduce deployment timelines and cut infrastructure costs for fleet operators.
The Orange Juicer incorporates a 180-kWh onboard battery that draws steady energy from existing site power, then delivers high-capacity charging on demand. The system bypasses lengthy utility upgrades, enabling fleets to bring electric trucks into service within weeks rather than years. Orange EV and OptiGrid say the solution delivers full fast-charging capability while consuming up to 85% less grid input power compared with conventional high-power systems.
By eliminating the need for costly utility construction, the Orange Juicer significantly reduces capital expenditure for fleets. Its modular design allows operators to scale charging infrastructure as fleets expand and to relocate units if needed. While currently optimized for Orange EV trucks, the technology can be adapted for other fleet equipment over time.
Kurt Neutgens, co-founder and president of Orange EV, said infrastructure delays are one of the biggest barriers customers face in adopting electric trucks. OptiGrid CEO Tyler Phillipi added that the charger provides performance on par with traditional high-capacity systems while running on limited grid supply, creating a practical path to electrification for fleets of all sizes.
The technology underpinning the Orange Juicer originated nearly a decade ago with FreeWire and has since been refined by OptiGrid. It is now being deployed with U.S. fleet operators in logistics and yard management. Orange EV trucks already provide operators with annual diesel savings, and pairing them with the Orange Juicer is expected to accelerate cost reductions and emissions benefits.
As electrification spreads into heavy-duty and specialized fleet applications, battery-buffered chargers such as the Orange Juicer are emerging as a means of overcoming grid capacity bottlenecks, particularly in regions where large-scale infrastructure upgrades remain slow and expensive.
