After a crazy few months on the road, the crew is back in the shop and a lot has happened. In this episode we break down the supply chain trips to China and the U.S., axle testing drama in Detroit, and where we are on getting trucks ready for real production.

We unveil “Big D,” the newly almost finished Royal winch tractor, talk through why we’re refusing pre-orders, and lay out the step‑by‑step plan for a validation production run of mechanicals and hybrids before scaling up. You’ll hear how we’re approaching apples‑to‑apples testing between hybrid and mechanical trucks, what it actually costs in hours to build one, and why we’re simplifying future builds with more analog wiring and common off‑the‑shelf parts.

On the lighter side, we recap the NATO/Canadian military show in CANSEC, our first defense contract, sitting in fighter jets, firing simulated missiles, and almost towing a jet with the hybrid pickup. Then we get into this year’s Edison EV Go‑Kart Challenge: record turnout, insane student builds sending 5–6 feet of air, teachers turning the new shop into a donut arena, and why we’re finally opening an adult league to help sponsor more school teams.

We also cover Investor Day at the new shop, concrete pour and facility upgrades, pickup conversion kit updates, and how we’re thinking about certification, chassis “skateboards,” and open sourcing wiring and CAN info. If you want a candid look at what it’s actually like to grow a Canadian truck manufacturer from prototype chaos into real production, while still having a bonfire with fans at the end of the day, this episode is for you.

For information on investing in Edison Motors, visit:

https://edisonmotors.ca/investors

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.

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.