Re:Tesla Semi’s Enormous Battery Might Weigh 11,000 Pounds o...
by Robotbeat on Saturday December 03, 2022 @03:40PM
(#33847100)
Not only did Tesla announce Megawatt chargers they claim will do 70% charging in 30 minutes, but this isn't a sleeper cab, so you're not going to have two drivers doing shifts anyway. And there's no need to worry about the pack freezing during use. The pack can be thermally insulated and the temperature is typically controlled via a coolant loop, possibly using a heat pump to maintain temperature. They're also typically automatically pre-heated before leaving.
If you plug in to charge immediately after driving, the temperature issue isn't a problem as both charging and discharging the battery produce some heat.
(Additionally, the "can't charge below freezing" is a chemistry-dependent thing... it's really only essential for certain chemistries like lithium-iron-phosphate, not the type they're using on the long range Tesla Semi.)
Stopping for 30 minutes to add another ~350 miles to the range will mean that a driver won't be limited by the truck in how long they can drive in a day. Additionally, charging is way safer than pumping diesel fuel, so drivers don't need to tend to their truck during charging (unlike fueling), freeing them up to rest or clean up or eat.
If you plug in to charge immediately after driving, the temperature issue isn't a problem as both charging and discharging the battery produce some heat.
(Additionally, the "can't charge below freezing" is a chemistry-dependent thing... it's really only essential for certain chemistries like lithium-iron-phosphate, not the type they're using on the long range Tesla Semi.)
Stopping for 30 minutes to add another ~350 miles to the range will mean that a driver won't be limited by the truck in how long they can drive in a day. Additionally, charging is way safer than pumping diesel fuel, so drivers don't need to tend to their truck during charging (unlike fueling), freeing them up to rest or clean up or eat.