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Why don’t we just put overhead electric lines on highways for semis to pull electricity from, rather than lose weight on big batteries?
by enqk 4y ago
Why don’t we just put overhead electric lines on highways for semis to pull electricity from, rather than lose weight on big batteries?
- oxplot 4y agoWhile it is theoretically possible to use overhead electric lines to power vehicles on highways, there are a few challenges that would need to be overcome in order to make this a practical solution. For one, the infrastructure required to support such a system would be quite extensive, and would likely be expensive to install and maintain. Furthermore, the system would only be able to provide power to vehicles while they are on the highway, so they would still need some form of on-board power source for use when they are off the road. Overall, while this idea has some potential, there are currently more practical and cost-effective solutions for reducing the weight of vehicles, such as the use of lightweight materials and more efficient batteries.
- trekkie1024 4y agoFeels like the above comment was written using ChatGPT :)
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- panick21_ 4y agoLightweight materials doesn't change physics. In railroading we have long ago learned that long terms power delivery via overhead lines is by far the cheapest and best solution.
- oxplot 4y agoI agree - trains make more sense than running overhead wires over highways.
- sofixa 4y agoAnd what if we put steel tracks and replace the rubber wheels with steel ones, for the lesser resistance and thus better traction? We could even then connect multiple semis together and only have a few provide power, that would be even more efficient! Snark aside, we have those, it's called railways. Trucks should mostly be used for "last mile" style transportation, hence the upfront infrastructure costs might not be worth it
- enqk 4y agoIt might be less expensive / faster to deploy overhead lines on existing highways rather than building new rail.
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- rep_movsd 4y agoSee elektrobooms idea for charging tunnels every 20 KM or so that can make urban vehicles not need a massive battery
- yreg 4y agoA truck that can drive on roads and also hop on rails sounds much more complex than an EV truck that can charge from an electric line above highway when available.
- codesnik 4y agoWhole truck doesn't have to hop on rails. This thing exists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadrailer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadrailer
- yreg 4y agoThat's admittedly cool. However, you then need to have multiple tractor units with drivers in multiple cities + also the train engine, all coordinating for the handovers. I'm definitely not saying EV trucks with batteries + trolleys are better, but there is some simplicity that's not replicated with the rail solutions. And I have read sofixa's (somewhat mocking) comment as if they are saying that rail is simpler.
- Y-bar 4y agoTom Scott made a video about this, it's well worth the five minute watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3P_S7pL7Yg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3P_S7pL7Yg
- thecopy 4y agoI agree, trains are more efficient for moving cargo.
- oxplot 4y agoActually, Tesla talked a bit about how a Semi convoy can even beat trains in cost.
- oblio 4y agoTesla talks about a lot of stuff and is great at cherry picking examples.
- oxplot 4y agoNo obstacles to do the math yourself!
- oblio 4y agoYes, and also no incentive, since as a general rule rail is cheaper than trucks (and boats are cheaper than rail). I have no way to determine if their cherry picked example is something that's relevant or some weird edge case that makes their graphs look good. But we will see over time, based on adoption. And regardless of what they do, I hope they don't lobby against mass transit (of goods and people). But they probably will, making things worse for all us. C'est la vie, I guess.
- oxplot 4y ago> I hope they don't lobby against mass transit (of goods and people). But they probably will, making things worse for all us. People in general are not fond of the experience of mass transit. They only do it because it's either (or all): - cheap (no parking fees, car purchase/maintenance) - less hassle (no need to find parking in busy areas and no need to have all attention to driving) If personal transport can be made cheaper, less hassle and hands-free (all of which is possible by autonomous vehicles), then people will vote with their pennies and no lobbying will be required by Tesla. How will this be worse?
- BatteryMountain 4y agoUhm, trains.
- panick21_ 4y agoYes, this is something that should have been done decades ago. That and shifting more to electric rail as well. But sadly the world doesn't really think logically and systematically about these issues. Along with not building car depend cities and suburbia that makes delivering things way more costly and worse for the environment. All of these things are wrapped up in many layers of cultural and historic issues.
- thehappypm 4y agoOverhead wires are way more expensive than you’d think. They’re also delicate — a tree branch knocks out a line of Boston’s light rail system every couple months. Electrification of existing train lines is a huge initiative, and one with major benefits, but it’s still only slowly gaining traction. In fact, one of Boston’s train lines that is not electrified is opting for battery powered trains to avoid the costs of overhead wires!