Cue the complaints in 3...2.....

[iamsuperdan]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/29449/tesla-semi-prototype-spotted-hauling-75000-pound-load-through-northern-california

 

Interesting for sure.

Will be interesting to get verification of the range, and how long it will taker to fully charge the batteries.

 

[Force]

39 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:

...and how long it will taker to fully charge the batteries.

 

Most likely a lot longer than to fuel up a regular diesel (or other fuel types) truck. 

[highway]

OK, my first thing is CHP is saying it was "operating" at 75,000 LBS, not hauling 75,000 as that article is claiming, and not only driving for 18 years before medical issues ended my career I know gross on any federal highway is 80,000 LBS and also having spent many a mile in Cali CHP will nail you for anything so there is no way it was hauling 75,000 LBS! That scale in Truckee on Donner Pass will fine you if you offend their delicate nasal passages passing gas the wrong way! ? 

Anyway, it would be nice to know what the net weight of the cargo actually was compared to the gross and how it actually stacks up to a diesel powered rig, because the 600 mile range is quite impressive. The only short term problems I'm seeing is parking and charging, because parking is a problem now for diesel powered trucks and why many are forced to park illegally on on/off ramps to highways, in store parking lots where many of the businesses don't want the trucks to park, at shippers or receivers, or even pull off areas on the side of the road, and many times this is caused by the hours of services rules or shippers and receivers not allowing parking on their properties but taking their sweet time to load/unload regardless of knowing of the hours of service rules drivers have to follow. There just wouldn't be the option to park anywhere with these with a limited range and having to probably at least have a few hours like during the rest period to charge like as a diesel where you can just spend 15 minutes to fuel and go, so I'd see some industry changes not only to infrastructure but to how shippers and receivers deal with loading and unloading and just general treatment of drivers as well. 

Of course, one other thing I'd be interested in seeing is how driveable it is in winter conditions.  At least from everything I've watched and read about electric cars, the torque is near instantaneous which I would think would make any of them a challenge to drive in snowy conditions.  

[Force]

You also have to keep in mind that batteries are not as effective when they are cold as they are when they are warm, you need to have a heater for the cab and so on and that will have an impact on the range in wintertime.
Well let Elon Musk waste his money on these vehicles, on contrary to what many like to think they are not the final solution to the problem anyway...but I will not take up that debate now. 

[iamsuperdan]

Weather is exactly why the world is not fully rerady for electric vehicles.

At least, not MY world. Canada is not designed for electric vehicles. Long distances between the major centers, and with temperatures below freezing for much of the year, range is severely limited.

Still, for  the southern US? 600 mile range sounds pretty good. The quick chargers for Audi e-tron or the Tesla cars can fill a battery from 1/4 to full charge in a little over an hour.  So in theory, a Tesla truck driver could stop for lunch, and by the time he's done, his truck is at 100% and he's good to go.

The big issue is infrastructure. There need to be a heck of a lot more charging stations before this can be a viable alternative to a diesel truck.

Not to mention the need to upgrade the entire power grid.

 

And at the end of the day, it really isn't saving the environment. Battery production, power plants, charging stations...all of those take energy and resources and create pollution. Does it really offset the exhaust and use of fuel?

And really, even at our worst, North America and Europe combined generate far less pollution and environmental impact than India or China on their best days. So at the end of the day, I don't think what we do makes that big of an impact at all.

 

Still, I like the concept, and I think there is a market for this. Just not where I live.

[tbill]

Much like the electric cars, this would be more suited to ‘local’ runs I would think. Battery packs are heated/cooled, so ambient temp isn’t as big a factor as you’d think. The battery packs still cost a fortune, and I don’t think we are to the point of changing out just one set of cells yet. Plus the voltage levels are pretty high, lots of potential risks working on those ( cars and trucks) if you don’t know what you’re doing and don’t take proper safety measures.

[Russell C]

4 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

...the southern US? 600 mile range sounds pretty good. The quick chargers for Audi e-tron or the Tesla cars can fill a battery from 1/4 to full charge in a little over an hour. ....

The big issue is infrastructure. There need to be a heck of a lot more charging stations before this can be a viable alternative to a diesel truck.

I'd prefer my 2cents to be termed more about concern than an actual complaint. Does anybody ever believe MPG claims by car makers? I never have, and my real world driving always falls short of what the advertisements said even though nobody can call me a leadfoot. Then, while it's admirable that the cars can get such quick charges, that might also be under absolutely optimal conditions. Then, judging from the wide open distances out west that I see on my vacation jaunts, a person has to keep a good eye on not running short on gas even today. I could, for example, arrive on fumes in SW Colorado, but the smart move is to fill up halfway there. How many fast charge stations between here and there, outside of Phoenix? On a map I found, I see one in Payson, one in Winslow, and zip for the entire sw corner of Colorado. Maybe the demand might fill in the infrastructure, but then they might have to re-open the part of the coal-fired powerstation by Page that was recently closed down just to keep up with the need for extra electricity.

[Force]

9 hours ago, iamsuperdan said:

Weather is exactly why the world is not fully rerady for electric vehicles.

At least, not MY world. Canada is not designed for electric vehicles. Long distances between the major centers, and with temperatures below freezing for much of the year, range is severely limited.

Still, for  the southern US? 600 mile range sounds pretty good. The quick chargers for Audi e-tron or the Tesla cars can fill a battery from 1/4 to full charge in a little over an hour.  So in theory, a Tesla truck driver could stop for lunch, and by the time he's done, his truck is at 100% and he's good to go.

The big issue is infrastructure. There need to be a heck of a lot more charging stations before this can be a viable alternative to a diesel truck.

Not to mention the need to upgrade the entire power grid.

 

And at the end of the day, it really isn't saving the environment. Battery production, power plants, charging stations...all of those take energy and resources and create pollution. Does it really offset the exhaust and use of fuel?

And really, even at our worst, North America and Europe combined generate far less pollution and environmental impact than India or China on their best days. So at the end of the day, I don't think what we do makes that big of an impact at all.

 

Still, I like the concept, and I think there is a market for this. Just not where I live.

I agree with you on most points there, except for maybe the charging in an hour...it's not like the time for a lunch break will allways be when it's time to recharge the truck, and have to wait an hour or maybe even more for the truck to charge up when you are in a hurry and are on restricted driving hours does not really make it in my World..
I can see this as a complement and for shorter runs in and around cities, not really for long hauls on the highways.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Force