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That's an impressive number considering the weight that it'll be pulling, but hows does this compare to gas range on current new rigs? Those refill to a full ta

by xd1936 9y ago

That's an impressive number considering the weight that it'll be pulling, but hows does this compare to gas range on current new rigs? Those refill to a full tank in a few minutes, whereas you need to wait quite a while from a full to empty electric charge.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
jdavis703 9y ago
I'm thinking trucking companies will start building cab-switching depots. So your truck is almost out of battery juice, just get another, hook it up to your trailer and continue on.
irishasaurus 9y ago
I would assume since these are going to be commercial vehicles Tesla will resurrect or otherwise leverage their battery swap idea. Which fizzled out for private vehicles but would really help extend the range of these trucks. http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-to-debut-battery-swapping-stations/ http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-to-debut-battery-swapping-sta... Also more of the tractor can hang underneath the trailer so there's the chance for a larger battery capacity. Like this extended tractor (the semi painted green not the flatbeds behind it) in this image that is 22 feet long. http://www.bigtruckguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/South-Dakota-17-axle-truck-trailer2.jpg http://www.bigtruckguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Sout...
yourapostasy 9y ago
TSLA may intend to debut battery swapping with the trucks, where the large physical form factor might be more amenable to swapping. While the range is low, if the equivalent mpg is higher, and the energy recovery from braking significant enough, then it would pencil out as an financial advantage to use the electric truck. A Yahoo Answers post [1] gives an idea of the kind of metrics TSLA will have to soundly beat. Fuel is the biggest cost. Bring that down and you'll get the trucking companies' attention for the pitch. Not all semis are long-haul; there are local delivery semis that fit into the 2-300 mile range, and that could be an initial market. [1] https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327005347AA4AAGO https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327005347A...
- burkemw3 9y ago
  Some shipping networks may be more amenable to swapping than consumer markets, too. If I were swapping batteries, I would have some concern about the condition that battery was in. In the consumer market, it's hard to manage that in a trustful way. Some shipping networks will allow swappable packs to remain in the possession of one entity. Hopefully, that entity trusts itself.
efficax 9y ago
Semis get about 5 or so mpg loaded down and have 200+ gallon tanks, so 1000-1500 miles on a full tank.
masklinn 9y ago
> hows does this compare to gas range on current new rigs? It doesn't come close. Most semis load 250~300gal diesel and have a fuel economy of 5 to 8mpg[0] so you're probably looking at at least 1000 miles, and possibly > double that depending on the exact model, trip and driving style. [0] though recent full-aero tractors can reach the low 10s, Volvo advertises 12MPG on their most efficient models

by xd1936 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

jdavis703 9y ago

I'm thinking trucking companies will start building cab-switching depots. So your truck is almost out of battery juice, just get another, hook it up to your trailer and continue on.

irishasaurus 9y ago

I would assume since these are going to be commercial vehicles Tesla will resurrect or otherwise leverage their battery swap idea. Which fizzled out for private vehicles but would really help extend the range of these trucks. http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-to-debut-battery-swapping-stations/ http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-to-debut-battery-swapping-sta... Also more of the tractor can hang underneath the trailer so there's the chance for a larger battery capacity. Like this extended tractor (the semi painted green not the flatbeds behind it) in this image that is 22 feet long. http://www.bigtruckguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/South-Dakota-17-axle-truck-trailer2.jpg http://www.bigtruckguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Sout...

yourapostasy 9y ago

TSLA may intend to debut battery swapping with the trucks, where the large physical form factor might be more amenable to swapping. While the range is low, if the equivalent mpg is higher, and the energy recovery from braking significant enough, then it would pencil out as an financial advantage to use the electric truck. A Yahoo Answers post [1] gives an idea of the kind of metrics TSLA will have to soundly beat. Fuel is the biggest cost. Bring that down and you'll get the trucking companies' attention for the pitch. Not all semis are long-haul; there are local delivery semis that fit into the 2-300 mile range, and that could be an initial market. [1] https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327005347AA4AAGO https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100327005347A...

burkemw3 9y ago
Some shipping networks may be more amenable to swapping than consumer markets, too. If I were swapping batteries, I would have some concern about the condition that battery was in. In the consumer market, it's hard to manage that in a trustful way. Some shipping networks will allow swappable packs to remain in the possession of one entity. Hopefully, that entity trusts itself.

efficax 9y ago

Semis get about 5 or so mpg loaded down and have 200+ gallon tanks, so 1000-1500 miles on a full tank.

masklinn 9y ago

> hows does this compare to gas range on current new rigs? It doesn't come close. Most semis load 250~300gal diesel and have a fuel economy of 5 to 8mpg[0] so you're probably looking at at least 1000 miles, and possibly > double that depending on the exact model, trip and driving style. [0] though recent full-aero tractors can reach the low 10s, Volvo advertises 12MPG on their most efficient models