Other Success Stories
In 2019, MassCEC awarded a $127,270 InnovateMass grant with $73,774 in cost-share funding to Blackburn Energy. Blackburn Energy is an Amesbury-based startup developing RelGen – a software-driven device that harvests otherwise-wasted energy from braking in heavy-duty freight trucks to power sleeper cabs or liftgates. The project contributes to MassCEC's goal to utilize technology to replace or reduce the direct use of fossil fuels, which generate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. RelGen helps fleet owners increase uptime and profit margins while eliminating up to 17 tons of CO2 per truck each year (blackburnenergy.com, 2020).
Since being awarded under InnovateMass, Blackburn Energy has demonstrated its RelGen product in 20 trucks on the road. They have also formed three strategic partnerships, including with the trucking industry’s largest truck AC provider, Bergstrom, and Toyota Tsusho of America.
