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The article writer claims that the market for this will disappear as more electric trucks enter the market and I couldn't disagree more, it will make them MORE

The article writer claims that the market for this will disappear as more electric trucks enter the market and I couldn't disagree more, it will make them MORE desirable. The biggest issue with electric trucks is range, and it's way more of a problem than it is with cars. Charging a truck in 20 minutes is a very different beast from doing it with a car since the amount of power needed is much higher, potentially in the tens of megawatts. Trucks are also traveling very long distances every day instead of just on the occasional road trip. If having a trailer assist is the difference between getting to your destination in one go vs stopping that's way more important for a truck than a car. If a truck can effectively get a 30% charge just from picking up a trailer then that's massive.

ianferrel 3y ago
You could do that with a much simpler trailer, though. All you need is battery and a cable. I don't know anything about electric trucks, but given that the standard use is to add trailers to them, I'd be surprised if "put the battery in the trailer" isn't already part of the plan.
- Turskarama 3y ago
  The battery is already a huge chunk of the cost, the added benefit of putting traction on the trailer itself is pretty big and could theoretically allow trucks to exceed their rated towing capacity if regulators get on it. Also it means that it's compatible with ALL trucks, not just electric ones, and doesn't rely on truck manufacturers integrating a new standard power supply that can be used while the truck is moving.
- travisb 3y ago
  Doing so would lose out on a large amount of regen though. If you are putting electric motors on the trailer axles anyways to capture the energy which would normally be turned into heat in the trailer brakes, then you may as well also drive those axles to make the most of the weight. Perhaps this means the tractors can be less powerful if most trailers also provide some motive power.

ianferrel 3y ago

You could do that with a much simpler trailer, though. All you need is battery and a cable. I don't know anything about electric trucks, but given that the standard use is to add trailers to them, I'd be surprised if "put the battery in the trailer" isn't already part of the plan.

Turskarama 3y ago
The battery is already a huge chunk of the cost, the added benefit of putting traction on the trailer itself is pretty big and could theoretically allow trucks to exceed their rated towing capacity if regulators get on it. Also it means that it's compatible with ALL trucks, not just electric ones, and doesn't rely on truck manufacturers integrating a new standard power supply that can be used while the truck is moving.
travisb 3y ago
Doing so would lose out on a large amount of regen though. If you are putting electric motors on the trailer axles anyways to capture the energy which would normally be turned into heat in the trailer brakes, then you may as well also drive those axles to make the most of the weight. Perhaps this means the tractors can be less powerful if most trailers also provide some motive power.