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Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by ceejayoz on Monday December 05, 2022 @07:17AM (#33864602)
> I don't spend huge amounts of capital for no reason, so why would a low-margin trucking company?

Setting aside the cost of diesel for a moment, trucking companies didn't build the entire gasoline infrastructure, either.

Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by pclmulqdq on Monday December 05, 2022 @07:43AM (#33864855)
They will have to build some electric infrastructure, the way most EV owners do. The best time to charge a short-haul truck is while it is waiting to be loaded or while it is parked overnight, and both of those will need the operator to own chargers.
Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by w0m on Monday December 05, 2022 @09:00AM (#33865707)
Operator owning charger also means markedly cheaper rates. .36c vs .08c per kwh as a crappy anecdotal reference near me. in the north east.

The $$ savings may make installing the infrastructure in loading/storage bays worthwhile.

Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by bluGill on Monday December 05, 2022 @08:07AM (#33865084)
Whats we have today has been built over 100 years. How fast will that convert to ev Charging is an open question.
Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by ceejayoz on Monday December 05, 2022 @09:12AM (#33865857)
What we have today followed adoption closely, and that existing infrastructure is ripe for adjusting as EVs become popular. Especially the larger truck/interstate stops, that have Starbucks, Subway, showers, etc.
Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by xenadu02 on Monday December 05, 2022 @07:23PM (#33874059)
The nice thing about EVs is we aren't starting from scratch either.

Most distribution centers, factories, etc where trucks load/unload at docks already have 3-phase power from the utility. They may need a transformer and service upgrade or for really large fleets they may even purchase 480 or KV power but when you compare it to the fuel savings its a total no-brainer. If you can save $50-80k per truck per year vs diesel that savings makes the EV trucks free. $1m for electrical upgrades? Sold. Will utilities need to perform distribution upgrades? Yes, but not all at once. They will do the upgrades as demand rises just like they do today.

As many others have noted in this thread it all comes down to your routes and logistics. For local and short-haul where the trucks return to a home base they are an excellent fit. Even if you need 50% more trucks because some of them are always on the charger as I noted the fuel savings make the trucks free so it doesn't matter at all.

It remains to be seen what the maintenance burden is. If it resembles passenger cars in any way I'd expect maintenance costs to be much lower since more components can be permanently sealed with lifetime sealed electric motors so no belts, hoses, bearings that wear out because someone couldn't be bothered to grease them, etc. Some consumables like brakes should also last much much longer.

Re:Tesla Semi, a Deep Dive by bluGill on Tuesday December 06, 2022 @08:55AM (#33879735)
Short haul, for sure. Long haul the truckers are independent from the place where they deliver to, and so there will be some friction - will the warehouses install charging or - like today - will they expect truckers to take care of charging.

Part of this is how the law catches up. In some states only a utility can legally sell electricity which means billing for charging is weird.