Electrans Technologies Ltd. (ETL) was founded in 2017 by Brian Layfield following a feasibility study conducted by the University of Waterloo in 2016. The Waterloo study demonstrated that an electric convertor dolly could deliver fuel consumption reduction of a tractor in double trailers configuration. Following incorporation in April 2017, ETL established its operations at the UW’s Accelerator Centre’s inaugural clean tech incubator.
In April 2018, ETL received a Low Carbon Innovation Fund (LCIF) grant from the Government of Ontario to fund technology validation and facilitate commercialization of the electric dolly technology. ETL moved to its current office location at 131 George Street in Oakville, Ontario at the end of 2018 and began low-volume prototyping and assembly.
In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, our team faced a major challenge in developing the remote control dolly: a human was still required to manually connect the air and electrical lines. This absence of an auto-coupler made it difficult to implement an autonomous vehicle. After speaking with industry partners, we identified a clear demand for an auto-coupler solution. Recognizing the need for a solution, we pivoted to developing Auto Connect™, our patent-pending advanced auto-coupling system for tractor-trailers.
In March 2024, the ETL team proudly introduced Auto Connect™ at the TMC Annual Exhibition, marking a significant milestone in our journey. We partnered with TICO and Stoughton to co-host a booth, providing a live demonstration of our technology and engaging with key industry professionals. Auto Connect™ garnered substantial interest at the event, reinforcing its potential to enhance fleet operations. TMC served as a pivotal platform for showcasing our innovation to the public, expanding our industry presence, and strengthening connections within the transportation sector.
Founder & CEO
Brian is a seasoned entrepreneur and business leader who has pioneered advances in aerodynamics for commercial trucks and custom applications for over 30 years. Brian is Past President of Airshield Corporation, the US licensor and originator of the add-on cab fairing that is now standard on all class eight heavy duty trucks. After selling his interest in Airshield in 1991, Brian founded Laydon Composites to provided integrated aerodynamic solutions for the trucking industry. Under Brian’s leadership, Laydon Composites grew to become an industry leader in vehicle aerodynamics with a worldwide reputation for delivering high-quality, state-of-the-art products to reduce fuel consumption in the trucking industry, including innovations such as a patented collapsible factory-installed air fairing, an injection-moulded roll-door system, and trailer fairings. In April 2016, Laydon Composites was acquired by WABCO Holdings Inc. Brian has an extensive network of contacts with the North American and European trucking industry, including at UPS, FedEx Freight, Walmart and XPO.
Director of Engineering
Brian is a computer modeling and simulation expert specializing in hybrid electric vehicle propulsion and vehicle systems dynamics who has led automotive design and simulation teams. Prior to joining ETL, Brian led product management at Gaius Automotive, a trike startup, for the inaugural French Tech Ticket program in Paris. Brian has also worked as a senior vehicle simulation engineer at CrossChasm Technologies, where he developed methodologies to rapidly and accurately create hybrid and electric powertrain models for energy consumption estimation, and as the technical lead of the computer modeling and simulation teams at General Dynamics Land System-Canada, where he specialized in vehicle dynamics of light armoured vehicles. Brian holds a Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, on the topic of multidisciplinary optimization of hybrid electric vehicles, and a B.A.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. He is currently pursuing his MBA through the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA program. Brian has been a licensed Professional Engineer of Ontario since 2006.
Mechanical Engineering Specialist
Karan holds a Bachelors of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. In his current position, he is focused on Mechanical Design for Electrans' products. Karan has experience with Robot design, consumer electronics development, testing, and simulation through past positions with Tinymile.ai and Apple.
Electrical Engineering Specialist
Josip is an electrical engineering graduate from the University of Waterloo with experience in low and high voltage circuit design and control through past experiences at Tesla, Geotab, and the TTC. Josip is focused on electrical and powertrain development on future Electrans' products.
Controls Engineering Specialist
Ted holds a Master of Applied Science degree from the University of Waterloo, where he specialized in vehicle dynamics and control for autonomous driving applications, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University. In his current position, he is focused on embedded software engineering for Electrans’ product development. Ted has experience with software development, control systems engineering, testing, and simulation through research conducted at Waterloo and past positions with General Motors and Hatch.
Senior Mechatronics Engineering Specialist
Brian's curiosity and strong grounding in mathematical thinking and engineering principles have paved the way to a broad range of activities including computational modeling and algorithm design for signal processing systems; test engineering of mechatronic systems; optimal design of heat and fluid systems; detailed mechanical design for industrial automation; and product development engineering in the automotive space. His educational background is similarly varied, with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor's and Master's in Mechanical Engineering. Brian is a co-inventor on several patents.
The Electrans team is composed of skilled engineers and key employees dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of the business. ETL is committed to continuous innovation, constantly enhancing their products and developing new solutions. Through ongoing professional development and collaboration, the team is expanding their skill set to better serve customers and stay ahead in the industry.
We’re always looking for forward-thinking team members with a passion for developing solutions using the latest technology.