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Overlooked in a lot of discussion of the CO2 impact of Tesla vs ICE is the effect of the added weight of the batteries on the amount of road damage a car will c
by jtlienwis 9y ago
Overlooked in a lot of discussion of the CO2 impact of Tesla vs ICE is the effect of the added weight of the batteries on the amount of road damage a car will cause. A study in the 1950's showed that road damage is proportional to the third power of the axle weight of the car. If the Tesla weights 1/3 more that a similar ICE vehicle it will cause (4/3)^3 or about 3 times as much damage to the road a similar ICE. Replacing the fleet of ICE cars with Tesla type cars would lead to the road being replaced 3 times as often. Note concrete production is large CO2 emitter.
- c517402 9y agoMy friend who is a highway engineer would disagree with you. He says that roads will last a very long time as long as the shear limit of the road is not exceeded, but that once the maximum shear is exceeded the road will deteriorate. So, semis that do not exceed their weight limit are not a problem, but hauling a bulldozer around on a flatbed with four axles when it should have six will really do damage. It makes sense to me because my experience has been that when anything is operated within it's design limits it can last a very long time. So, unless the cars you are talking about have very narrow tires, I don't think they will be the problem you propose.
- cptskippy 9y agoHow does asphalt compare to concrete? I would guess that it's worse but I would be coming from a place of complete ignorance.