Ev Trucks

[wecharg]

What do you think of Tesla’s electric semi-truck?

 

[JoeS]

Unlike our largely-innumerate populace, large fleet operators do the math. If it saves them money and gets their rigs from point A to point B, they'll go for it. Combine that with giving the truck driver a superior driving experience, and it can't help but be a winner.

Although other major manufacturers see the writing on the wall and are developing BEV/PHEV Class 8 tractor trailer tractors, Tesla is simultaneously actively tackling the infrastructure issue. It will be interesting to see if the trucking industry also ends up with a variety of DCQC standards, and at what point will DOT jump in... which reminds me, despite the proven fuel-saving benefits, NHTSA still hasn't approved the elimination of rear-view mirrors on cars despite Tesla urging them for ten years! That Tesla semi shows no protrusions https://www.tesla.com/semi

 

[Don]

They've a;ready taken about 500 reservations at $20K a pop, so it's pretty obvious several companies (UPS, WalMart, Budwieser etc) think it will work for them, even without a national recharging network

When most of us think about semi trucks, we automatically think cross country trucking, but that's not how the majority of them are used and that may never be what the Teslas are used for. Many companies use fleets of trucks to move goods from sea ports to warehouses and from warehouses to distribution points which are only 100 to 300 miles away and routes like that will work for BEV's without a recharging network. Plug them in overnight and they will do what you need the next day on a single charge

Another really practical application for battery powered big movers is city buses because they typically only rack up 150 to 200 miles per day. Many large cities are converting their fleets quickly to battery powered buses - They have been popular in Europe for some time now

The future of all electric transportation is looking brighter every day - One day it will be the norm and fuel burners will be the exception!

Don

 

[wmcbrine]

... which reminds me, despite the proven fuel-saving benefits, NHTSA still hasn't approved the elimination of rear-view mirrors on cars despite Tesla urging them for ten years!

Um... good?

I've mentioned before: LCD monitors in general, and my i-MiEV's rear-view display specifically, get washed out in sunlight. They might be OK if they were transflective. But even then, you've got the simple reliability of a mirror vs. complex electronics with many more potential points of failure.