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The only thing stopping battery electric trucks from taking over long haul trucking is constrained battery supply. You will see battery electric trucks on th

The only thing stopping battery electric trucks from taking over long haul trucking is constrained battery supply. You will see battery electric trucks on the road in large numbers within the first half of this decade.

sharpneli 6y ago
5 tonnes was not an exaggeration. Batteries weigh a lot. Right now energy density of them is enough for decent passenger car experience. But it’s not competitive in big trucks.
- andyferris 6y ago
  On the other hand, Tesla is selling a semi-trailer, which they claim is compelling. It will be interesting to see how it is received, but I think it’s too early to claim it can’t be competitive.
dntrkv 6y ago
Electric long-haul trucking is nowhere close to being a reality and the limiting factor is not battery supply. Weight: Electric semis will have a reduced load of over 4 MT (~9,000 lbs) due to increased weight in the batteries Range: Even with a ~500 mile range, that is not even close to satisfying long-haul trucking needs Recharge: With a 150kW supercharger, you are looking at 7+ hour recharge time Charging infra: You can charge your electric car at home, you aren't gonna be charging your semi at home. Many owner-operators store their trucks in a truck yard along with dozens of other trucks. Even just 10 trucks @ 120kWh = 1.2MWh, large company fleets will be even harder. On the road, this will be even less feasible in the short term In the end, what you have is a more expensive truck, with a decreased payload capacity, that cannot drive as far, that will have more downtime due to charging, and will require massive updates to electric infrastructure. The only case where they might make sense are in shorter routes, with a vertically integrated company like Amazon going from one distribution center to another where truckers can switch trucks on arrival and let the previous one charge. But even then, it will be a long time before running these trucks will be as profitable as the existing ones.

sharpneli 6y ago

5 tonnes was not an exaggeration. Batteries weigh a lot. Right now energy density of them is enough for decent passenger car experience. But it’s not competitive in big trucks.

andyferris 6y ago
On the other hand, Tesla is selling a semi-trailer, which they claim is compelling. It will be interesting to see how it is received, but I think it’s too early to claim it can’t be competitive.

dntrkv 6y ago

Electric long-haul trucking is nowhere close to being a reality and the limiting factor is not battery supply. Weight: Electric semis will have a reduced load of over 4 MT (~9,000 lbs) due to increased weight in the batteries Range: Even with a ~500 mile range, that is not even close to satisfying long-haul trucking needs Recharge: With a 150kW supercharger, you are looking at 7+ hour recharge time Charging infra: You can charge your electric car at home, you aren't gonna be charging your semi at home. Many owner-operators store their trucks in a truck yard along with dozens of other trucks. Even just 10 trucks @ 120kWh = 1.2MWh, large company fleets will be even harder. On the road, this will be even less feasible in the short term In the end, what you have is a more expensive truck, with a decreased payload capacity, that cannot drive as far, that will have more downtime due to charging, and will require massive updates to electric infrastructure. The only case where they might make sense are in shorter routes, with a vertically integrated company like Amazon going from one distribution center to another where truckers can switch trucks on arrival and let the previous one charge. But even then, it will be a long time before running these trucks will be as profitable as the existing ones.