Semi Tesla Semi Truck

[Cashmere]

About a month to go before the reveal so might as well get this thread going:

What we know so far:
• Jerome Guillen is in charge of the semi truck development. He was formerly at Mercedes Benz and in charge of the development of the Cascadia truck, which is one of the most successful trucks from Mercedes Benz.
• Expected range of at least 600 miles (965 KM) on a single charge.
• No gearbox - single speed likes Tesla's other EVs
• Will use multiple PMAC (Permanent Magnet AC) Motors which are being used on the Model 3.
• Will create far more torque than any diesel truck. According to EM will out torque a diesel truck on an uphill tug of war.

 

[chonkoa]

Another google eyeglass but on a greater scale.

 

[Centurion]

Unlike consumers, businesses buy their vehicles with their heads and calculator in hand rather than their heart. The fuel savings the Tesla Semi will offer will need to be greater than the lease premium the semi will command over a petrol powered semi.

 

[Matski]

Unlike consumers, businesses buy their vehicles with their heads and calculator in hand rather than their heart. The fuel savings the Tesla Semi will offer will need to be greater than the lease premium the semi will command over a petrol powered semi.

In the UK, the fuel costs for hauliers seem to surpass the purchase cost of the cab, based on an average, after about 2 - 2.5 years, and the majority are bought not leased... so I guess they could be twice as expensive, and still work out to be in a similar ball-park over a 3 year period... that's just fag-packet maths based on the Road Haulage association report last year though.

I could see it working in smaller countries with higher fuel prices... like the UK... but perhaps less so in the US.

 

[Sunny]

While I didn't take it seriously first, think of it, it makes sense - all the cons of BEVs don't really matter, while the pros really pay off -
- Range,in US, regulations only allow a driver to continuously drive for 11 hours, before requiring a 10 hour break. So even at an average of 50mph (in Cal, trucks are limited to 55mph) , you are not going further than 600miles before forced to take a long break.
- They usually follow set routes, so easy to plan your stops and less range anxiety
- Lack of top speed is not really an issue
- Lack of noise/fun factor not an issue, even an advantage
- The weight of the batteries/ effect on handling is not really an issue
- The max torque from stand still will be a big advantage.
- The lower maintenance cost/longer MBTF will be much appreciated
- So will the lower operating costs.

 

[KiwiRob]

While I didn't take it seriously first, think of it, it makes sense - all the cons of BEVs don't really matter, while the pros really pay off -
- Range,in US, regulations only allow a driver to continuously drive for 11 hours, before requiring a 10 hour break. So even at an average of 50mph (in Cal, trucks are limited to 55mph) , you are not going further than 600miles before forced to take a long break.
- They usually follow set routes, so easy to plan your stops and less range anxiety
- Lack of top speed is not really an issue
- Lack of noise/fun factor not an issue, even an advantage
- The weight of the batteries/ effect on handling is not really an issue
- The max torque from stand still will be a big advantage.
- The lower maintenance cost/longer MBTF will be much appreciated
- So will the lower operating costs.

You're forgetting that a lot of owner operators run two up, often husband and wife teams, one sleeps whilst the other drives, this truck isn't going to cut it for this type of operation. When I worked for a transport company in NZ our trucks would run 24/7, a truck sitting idle is not making anyone any money, 10 hours charging is unproductive down time. For example a truck would run an NZ Post line haul from Auckland to Wellington, unload, reload, change driver then be on the road back to Auckland within an hour then do the same again.

 

[KiwiRob]

Unlike consumers, businesses buy their vehicles with their heads and calculator in hand rather than their heart. The fuel savings the Tesla Semi will offer will need to be greater than the lease premium the semi will command over a petrol powered semi.

You mean diesel power semi, nobody has driven petrol powered semis for many decades.

 

[Giannis]

You're forgetting that a lot of owner operators run two up, often husband and wife teams, one sleeps whilst the other drives, this truck isn't going to cut it for this type of operation. When I worked for a transport company in NZ our trucks would run 24/7, a truck sitting idle is not making anyone any money, 10 hours charging is unproductive down time. For example a truck would run an NZ Post line haul from Auckland to Wellington, unload, reload, change driver then be on the road back to Auckland within an hour then do the same again.

I second that.

In my time as a site engineer, the MB 3538 and 3535 we had, were on the road 16h per day, covering two consecutive shifts. In multiple occasions they were on the road around the clock.

 

[chonkoa]

You're forgetting that a lot of owner operators run two up, often husband and wife teams, one sleeps whilst the other drives, this truck isn't going to cut it for this type of operation. When I worked for a transport company in NZ our trucks would run 24/7, a truck sitting idle is not making anyone any money, 10 hours charging is unproductive down time. For example a truck would run an NZ Post line haul from Auckland to Wellington, unload, reload, change driver then be on the road back to Auckland within an hour then do the same again.

There is a very simple solution for that. Lawmakers will be lobbied to pass laws that prevent truckers from driving beyond the range of electric trucks a day. Problem solved, it be will called the Modern Human Truck Driving Law(MHTDL). Next all diesel trucks will be prohibited and voila, there is no problem. Supply chains will have to adjust with the higher cost of transportation and inefficiencies.

 

[Sunny]

Sorry for being part of it, but moved all the "Musk is the biggest rapist" stuff here - https://www.germancarforum.com/threads/musk-is-the-biggest-rapist.57456/. Please continue there about how you feel personally about Musk there.

 

[Cashmere]

So this is quite a surprise but Cummings just unveiled their electric truck today. Will be interesting to see what the range is

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Matski]

@Cashmere 100 miles as standard, expandable to 300 with additional battery pack, 600 with diesel generator on board.

 

[Cashmere]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Centurion]

Don't expect it to have a big impact on the truck industry from the word go.

When the Ford Model T launched, everyone didn't rush to replace their horses with one. Similarly steam powered trains reigned for decades after electric trains were first unveiled.

 

[alex2111]

Funny to see how many and which cars this will beat to 100km/h

 

[DjordjeC63]

Yugo maybe.

 

[Cashmere]

Not Tesla specific but this could give us an idea of what to expect from a large battery powered vehicle. Proterra (whose investors include BMW i) is another California based startup that specializes in Electric buses and has already sold 400+ electric buses so far.

A Proterra electric bus just drove 1,100 miles on a single charge

• 660 kWh Battery (Approx 6.5 x Tesla P100D Battery packs)
• Drove 1100 miles on a single charge at a constant speed of 15 Mph for 73+ hours @ Navistar proving grounds.
• Uses new battery cell technology developed by LG Chem which enables high throughput charging

What I find really interesting is the new high speed charging technology which is ~2x faster then Tesla's current V2 superchargers:

Proterra's high-voltage overhead charging system uses robotic control (and some autonomous software on the bus) to replenish bus batteries in as little as 10 minutes, depending on the size of the battery pack. Charging at 250-1000V (DC) and up to 1400A, the system is eight times faster than the CHAdeMO fast-charging standard and between three and four times faster than Tesla's Superchargers. And unlike the old-fashioned pantograph, which needs to cover the vehicle's entire route, Proterra's system is static. This means bus operators can install them in terminals or at the same locations they use to refill their diesel tanks.

"The interesting thing is these diesel buses have such massive fuel tanks—given how inefficient they are—that it takes longer to completely refill an 80- or 120-gallon diesel bus system than it does to recharge our electric vehicles," explains Proterra CEO Ryan Popple. "So we're actually getting to the point where the vehicles that are configured for fast charge can be replenished faster than you can stick a hose in the side of a diesel bus and fill it with fuel."

According to Popple, Proterra's fast-charger can recharge a 100kWh electric bus in just ten minutes, sufficient for a circulator bus route of 30 (48km) miles or less. That's better than diesel or even natural gas, he told us: "We've gone from something that would have been considered a negative for EVs—slow overnight charging—and now we've gone to the point where EVs are advantaged relative to combustion in terms of speed and ease of refueling." (Recharging the 400kWh batteries of a longer-range electric bus would obviously take longer.)

Link: A Proterra electric bus just drove 1,100 miles on a single charge

 

[Matski]

^ electric buses make far more sense to me than trucks at this stage, especially in places like the UK.

Bus routes aren't that long, and the services only run for limited hours per day, so I can't imagine the daily mileage is that great. Most bus routes also run through places where people tend to live, so noisy smokey diesels aren't so great.

 

[Cashmere]

View attachment 424405

 

[Beemer B773ER]

Oh the irony in that photo.