Tesla semi 1000 mile journey

[PimTac]

Reading some of the comments and thinking about these trucks as autonomous driven, I wonder if a possible idea would be to swap the tractor portion of the semi at charging stations? The tractor would basically be the battery pack and the guidance systems. Remember, no drivers.

The truck would be programmed to stop at a charging station on the route where the tractor would unhook and plug itself into a charger. Meanwhile a freshly charged tractor hooks up and the truck continues on the route. This eliminates stops. The first tractor once charged becomes available for the next rig.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I think those stupid Tesla Semis are only for rich CA granola heads. Right?

 

[JeffKeryk]

Reading some of the comments and thinking about these trucks as autonomous driven, I wonder if a possible idea would be to swap the tractor portion of the semi at charging stations? The tractor would basically be the battery pack and the guidance systems. Remember, no drivers.

The truck would be programmed to stop at a charging station on the route where the tractor would unhook and plug itself into a charger. Meanwhile a freshly charged tractor hooks up and the truck continues on the route. This eliminates stops. The first tractor once charged becomes available for the next rig.

Maybe... Who knows what the vehicle landscape will look like in 20 years?

 

[PimTac]

Maybe... Who knows what the vehicle landscape will look like in 20 years?

Yea I think it’s a ways off but the idea of the commerce constantly on the move benefits consumers.

 

[gman2304]

When a Tesla pulls a time sensitive perishable load ( say, strawberries ) with a GVW of 80,000 lbs from Bakersfield to NYC in less than 48 hours, I’ll be impressed. Not saying it will never happen, it just won’t happen in the next two decades!

 

[PandaBear]

When a Tesla pulls a time sensitive perishable load ( say, strawberries ) with a GVW of 80,000 lbs from Bakersfield to NYC in less than 48 hours, I’ll be impressed. Not saying it will never happen, it just won’t happen in the next two decades!

It is actually easier than you think.

There is no law that says you cannot have the electric motor be in a separate unit than the battery. You can have a "battery" with a "tractor trailer" connection on the front and the back and just hook up as many of them as you want to piggy back for an extended range, or you can disconnect and reconnect a battery trailer every once in a while at a truck stop as a battery swap.

So depends on whether the market wants more EV trailer, I don't see it as a problem if the demand is there to support a battery swap mechanism.

 

[Exhaustgases]

We don't need dangerous autonomous 80k pound trucks on the roads. What needs done at least in this area of this state is to reinstall all the rail road tracks that they removed to make bike trails, and use trains to haul like they did years ago. Trucks are only needed for local delivery's not long haul, if the system worked like it should, and rail roads where more streamlined in how they work, especially the big rail yards. No long haul electric trucks would be needed.

 

[thastinger]

I think those stupid Tesla Semis are only for rich CA granola heads. Right?

CA folks will buy one of these and throw sectional couches in the back and use it as the family SUV, while virtue signaling about how "green" it is and enjoying the tax break.

 

[Cujet]

We already know the reality, 300 miles range at exactly 60mph, significantly less than a typical full load (Guessing 30,000), as total weight was up to 70,000 pounds.

Since the Tesla Semi weighs at least 8000 more than a normal semi, cargo is limited, with the possibility of legal exceptions to the 80,000 pound max limit. The cargo the Tesla carried was probably about 30,000 pounds. A typical flatbed can carry 48,000 and a typical trailer about 45,000.

Also of note, modern semi's can have as much as 1300 miles range at 70+mph when equipped with 2ea, 100 gal tanks.

 

[Torrid]

We don't need dangerous autonomous 80k pound trucks on the roads. What needs done at least in this area of this state is to reinstall all the rail road tracks that they removed to make bike trails, and use trains to haul like they did years ago. Trucks are only needed for local delivery's not long haul, if the system worked like it should, and rail roads where more streamlined in how they work, especially the big rail yards. No long haul electric trucks would be needed.

That’s the problem. The government didn’t take that land. Railroads abandoned them so the become state land. The only thing keeping the old lines alive are small railroads servicing end customers. The name of the game for large railroads is remove unneeded rail and haul as many big trains as they can on primary lines. The cost of upkeep of a basically unused rail bed is why these bike paths exist.

 

[JeffKeryk]

CA folks will buy one of these and throw sectional couches in the back and use it as the family SUV, while virtue signaling about how "green" it is and enjoying the tax break.

Well, we buy almost 2M new vehicles per year, far more than any other state. So I guess there's room for a few Semis...

 

[gman2304]

It is actually easier than you think.

No it isn’t..yet! They will get there, but not for at least a decade maybe two.
Infrastructure isn’t ready yet for EV cars let alone class 8 trucks. What will power the reefer in the cross country trip scenario I posed pulling a time sensitive load? Batteries, solar panels? Potentially, batteries to power the reefer equals more gross weight and less product being hauled. Think products are expensive now? Jump on the battery truck band wagon and we’ll see expensive first hand in every product made. As I said…EV’s are the future…..just not tomorrow! If you bought it….a truck brought it!

 

[y_p_w]

No it isn’t..yet! They will get there, but not for at least a decade maybe two.
Infrastructure isn’t ready yet for EV cars let alone class 8 trucks. What will power the reefer in the cross country trip scenario I posed pulling a time sensitive load? Batteries, solar panels? Potentially, batteries to power the reefer equals more gross weight and less product being hauled. Think products are expensive now? Jump on the battery truck band wagon and we’ll see expensive first hand in every product made. As I said…EV’s are the future…..just not tomorrow! If you bought it….a truck brought it!

Likely the same way they're done now, which is a generator powering the cooling unit. Not everything needs to be battery powered.

How about vehicle/driver swaps over long distances? Logistics would be crazy though - like airline scheduling.

 

[gman2304]

Likely the same way they're done now, which is a generator powering the cooling unit

Current refrigerated trailers are diesel powered by engines attached to the front of the trailer with a chute that directs the cooled air to the rear of the trailer.

How about vehicle/driver swaps over long distances?

All this could work ( but so could a freight train )in a dry freight scenario but my scenario is a time sensitive example where time is of the utmost concern as the product is a perishable commodity. Battery charges/replacements and or driver rotations take time.

 

[y_p_w]

Current refrigerated trailers are diesel powered by engines attached to the front of the trailer with a chute that directs the cooled air to the rear of the trailer.

All this could work ( but so could a freight train )in a dry freight scenario but my scenario is a time sensitive example where time is of the utmost concern as the product is a perishable commodity. Battery charges/replacements and or driver rotations take time.

Yeah - a clip-on genset. Decades ago I had a temp job in college working for a shipping company. I didn't do any of the dispatching, but it was interesting tracking containers by number. Back then we had to call in to the railroads with automated service with the number of the container. I wasn't sure what this "reefer" thing was and someone told me it was a refrigerated container or trailer.

 

[gman2304]

I don’t know what a “ clip on gen set “ is. Our new Utility trailers had permanent Thermo King diesel reefer units installed at their factory. The road/ship containers have dual setups. Diesel reefer units when being transported by trucks and plug in electric reefer trailer units when on the ship or dropped at a grocers yard. I’ve pulled hundreds of banana containers out of Port Canaveral and Port manatee Florida and had to pre cool my trailer via a diesel reefer unit when they come off the ship. Occasionally I would turn in an empty container and pick up a loaded container on their yard.

 

[PandaBear]

No it isn’t..yet! They will get there, but not for at least a decade maybe two.
Infrastructure isn’t ready yet for EV cars let alone class 8 trucks. What will power the reefer in the cross country trip scenario I posed pulling a time sensitive load? Batteries, solar panels? Potentially, batteries to power the reefer equals more gross weight and less product being hauled. Think products are expensive now? Jump on the battery truck band wagon and we’ll see expensive first hand in every product made. As I said…EV’s are the future…..just not tomorrow! If you bought it….a truck brought it!

Again, why on earth do people have to do all or nothing?

"I can't climb that mountain with a car so it will never be popular, horses forever." - Some dude in 1913.

Trains are still running diesel, long haul trucks would be too for quite a while, but that doesn't mean we don't have electric trains or electric trucks already.

 

[PandaBear]

Current refrigerated trailers are diesel powered by engines attached to the front of the trailer with a chute that directs the cooled air to the rear of the trailer.

All this could work ( but so could a freight train )in a dry freight scenario but my scenario is a time sensitive example where time is of the utmost concern as the product is a perishable commodity. Battery charges/replacements and or driver rotations take time.

So you want it fast and cheap but you only want some poor dude to drive 48 hours nonstop? Maybe if the demand is there there will be driver less trucks running non-stop and just skip the human driver would be the best way to save time and money.

Maybe build some overhead lines so long haul trucks can be powered like a train or some city buses?

 

[ripcord]

Again, why on earth do people have to do all or nothing?

"I can't climb that mountain with a car so it will never be popular, horses forever." - Some dude in 1913.

Trains are still running diesel, long haul trucks would be too for quite a while, but that doesn't mean we don't have electric trains or electric trucks already.

There are few never-EV folks here. The push back is due to government mandates that we saw coming early on which are coming quickly to fruition. Would it have been reasonable for government back in 1913 to have legislated or regulated no new horses after 1922 and a complete switch to automobiles after 1925?

 

[y_p_w]

There are few never-EV folks here. The push back is due to government mandates that we saw coming early on which are coming quickly to fruition. Would it have been reasonable for government back in 1913 to have legislated or regulated no new horses after 1922 and a complete switch to automobiles after 1925?

There have been all sorts of different federal and/or state tax advantages. There are certain tax deductions for light trucks for business use but not most passenger cars. I remember a tax break for diesel cars back in the 80s. European countries had tax breaks to encourage diesel passenger cars.

Not sure about a complete switch, but at the very least horses aren't allowed on freeways. But at the very least there's no attempt to ban cars or trucks altogether, but rather to change the source of propulsion. I think a better comparison would be if steam powered locomotives were phased out for new builds in favor of diesel-electric.