19 ms·

The headline is clickbait. As 'twic pointed out, this means "no escort or any accompanying vehicles" [1]. It does not mean that the truck was self driving, whic

The headline is clickbait. As 'twic pointed out, this means "no escort or any accompanying vehicles" [1]. It does not mean that the truck was self driving, which is strongly implied by the headline. 1 = https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17842679 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17842679

mrep 8y ago
Huh, when I first read it, I assumed they meant without charging most likely because the car can probably drive really far when not towing anything.
nimbius 8y ago
speaking as an automotive mechanic for a small chain of truck repair/wash stations across the midwest, I get how people could mistake it as a self driving truck but the fact that it made it across the US unescorted is a bigger deal than you think. this means a driver managed pass every pre-flight check after stops, passed inspection stations in roughly a dozen states, weigh station checks despite also carrying a massive battery pack, and safety inspections from state troopers that likely had no clue what the hell it was. The truck was capable of hauling a commercial load. meaning the axle weight adjustments were properly executed and most importantly, Teslas answer to jake braking (engine braking) is a success. No truck, not even teslas, carries a braking system or air system with enough power to stop a downhill tractor trailer without shifting to a lower gear and employing the engine to help some. In my opinion, however tesla achieves this, is the real breakthrough.
- stephengillie 8y ago
  > weigh station checks despite also carrying a massive battery pack I'd hope an empty electric truck is light enough to pass the weigh station check. Else it would be useless when loaded. > No truck, not even teslas, carries a braking system or air system with enough power to stop a downhill tractor trailer without shifting to a lower gear and employing the engine to help some. A drivetrain that size should have impressive regeneration supplementing the mechanical brakes. Apparently this is about equal to engine braking in gas trucks. Though these trucks were empty. Have we seen a fully-loaded Tesla truck yet?
  - Latteland 8y ago
    I don't know about fully loaded but elecktrek has other articles where tesla said they were using it to pull loads between the giga factory in nevada and the main factory in california.
- carbocation 8y ago
  Thanks for the counterpoint - I learned a lot from your post. I wish the headline were slightly different, that's all.
Latteland 8y ago
I don't think it's clickbait, because there haven't been any vehicles yet that did anything like that with self driving. You'd also use a car, not an experimental giant truck. It had a driver too. And used roads. I just don't see it as confusing. The key thing for this semi is that it seems to actually works, drives on regular roads, can be recharged at superchargers. It's a real vehicle.

mrep 8y ago

Huh, when I first read it, I assumed they meant without charging most likely because the car can probably drive really far when not towing anything.

nimbius 8y ago

speaking as an automotive mechanic for a small chain of truck repair/wash stations across the midwest, I get how people could mistake it as a self driving truck but the fact that it made it across the US unescorted is a bigger deal than you think. this means a driver managed pass every pre-flight check after stops, passed inspection stations in roughly a dozen states, weigh station checks despite also carrying a massive battery pack, and safety inspections from state troopers that likely had no clue what the hell it was. The truck was capable of hauling a commercial load. meaning the axle weight adjustments were properly executed and most importantly, Teslas answer to jake braking (engine braking) is a success. No truck, not even teslas, carries a braking system or air system with enough power to stop a downhill tractor trailer without shifting to a lower gear and employing the engine to help some. In my opinion, however tesla achieves this, is the real breakthrough.

stephengillie 8y ago
> weigh station checks despite also carrying a massive battery pack I'd hope an empty electric truck is light enough to pass the weigh station check. Else it would be useless when loaded. > No truck, not even teslas, carries a braking system or air system with enough power to stop a downhill tractor trailer without shifting to a lower gear and employing the engine to help some. A drivetrain that size should have impressive regeneration supplementing the mechanical brakes. Apparently this is about equal to engine braking in gas trucks. Though these trucks were empty. Have we seen a fully-loaded Tesla truck yet?
- Latteland 8y ago
  I don't know about fully loaded but elecktrek has other articles where tesla said they were using it to pull loads between the giga factory in nevada and the main factory in california.
carbocation 8y ago
Thanks for the counterpoint - I learned a lot from your post. I wish the headline were slightly different, that's all.

Latteland 8y ago

I don't think it's clickbait, because there haven't been any vehicles yet that did anything like that with self driving. You'd also use a car, not an experimental giant truck. It had a driver too. And used roads. I just don't see it as confusing. The key thing for this semi is that it seems to actually works, drives on regular roads, can be recharged at superchargers. It's a real vehicle.