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how can trucks work on batteries? and be economical? you do know roads have a load rating you can't go over? so Trucks will have to carry less and we will have

• Animats 5y ago
  Siemens actually set up a road with overhead wire and put a pantograph on a truck.[1] Probably not a great idea. Tried in Super Mario Brothers, the movie (1983) [2] [1] https://insideevs.com/photo/3938111/siemens-to-conduct-ehighway-trials-with-electric-volvo-trucks-in-california/ https://insideevs.com/photo/3938111/siemens-to-conduct-ehigh... [2] https://youtu.be/G7GUvttfe0k https://youtu.be/G7GUvttfe0k
• AnthonyMouse 5y ago
  The load limit for most truck routes is 80,000 pounds and most loads don't weigh that much. Existing semi trucks already weigh 10,000-25,000 pounds. An electric semi would be at the higher end of that range, but it would also have lower fuel costs. So you get a cost savings for the large majority of loads that weren't already at the weight limit. There will also be different electric semi tractors. The one with a 500 mile range will weigh more than the one with a 250 mile range. So then you can use the one with the shorter range for the heaviest loads, leaving more of the weight limit for the load. If you weren't transporting it farther than that range then it doesn't matter. If you were then you have to stop to charge more often, which has a time cost, but it's not obvious even in those cases that the extra charging time is going to cost you more than the fuel savings. The general expectation is that overall costs will go down, because that's the thing causing truckers to buy electric trucks.