Re:FedEx reserves 20 Tesla Semi all-electric big rig trucks
by ams6110 on Monday March 26, 2018 @10:32PM
(#16684678)
Yes but long haul trucking involves distances much farther then the range of any normal electric car.
Good point about substituting the weight of the engine for batteries. Still I think you're going to be way short in total energy density.
And it's not like you can just pack the trailer with batteries either, you still need to allow for the weight of the cargo and there is a gross weight limit on 18-wheelers.
Re:FedEx reserves 20 Tesla Semi all-electric big rig trucks
by Retric on Tuesday March 27, 2018 @07:37AM
(#16687312)
They don't exceed highway speed so swapping batteries every X miles will be worth it if they reduce total costs by doing so.
As to weight the engine weighs ~3000 lb and 300 gallons of gas weigh ~1,900 gallons. Transmission is another 700lb, include tank weight and verious odds and ends and you can get ~5 hours at highway speed. Assuming a battery swap takes 10 minutes. That's easily worth saving 50+k per year in operating expenses.
Re:FedEx reserves 20 Tesla Semi all-electric big rig trucks
by femidav on Thursday March 29, 2018 @08:20AM
(#16706365)
2200lb for gas, 3000lb for the engine, 700lb for the transmission. Say 7k lb total. Compare this now to the electric one. The battery alone would weight 33k pounds. Engine and transmission would add another 2k. 5 times more than ICE. The battery would also cost $200k.
Re:FedEx reserves 20 Tesla Semi all-electric big rig trucks
by Jesus_Jones on Tuesday March 27, 2018 @01:41AM
(#16685591)
they are already driving them, they seem to have about the range. you can read about this in tesla newsgroup sites, like tmc.
Battery volume and weight density is not that bad when you consider the weight savings without an IC engine, transmission etc. Gasoline gallon equivalent tables ignore the vastly lower efficiency of IC engines. Costs are mostly non issue as trucks would charge daily making them break even before cars.
The actual problem is manufacturing capacity which has been ramping up but has a long way to go.