Tesla SEMI 1st delivery...

The regen is microscopic.
I'd have to see the actual numbers on this truck but I dont think they would agree with 'microscopic'. Anecdotally, I can tell you that when I drove my friends Tesla on full regen in an attempt to drive around town in rush hour traffic without actually using the brake pedal (only used it once in 10 miles) the amount of range I got back was pretty impressive, if the numbers on the screen are to be believed.
A 747 has 66,000 lbs of thrust; an F16 has 23,000-29,000.
Uh, hmmmm....you might want to regoogle those 747 numbers, although I see Cujet has already given you a heads up. Just for fun, you might want to google thrust-to-weight ratio as well.

After that, I'll ask what your point is, which will make me the 2nd person in this thread to do that. Because I'm really not sure what the point of your comment actually is.
 
So the payload capacity of the EV truck will be less than a diesel, do we know the weight difference of the two that results in a loss of carrying capacity?

...
I did some research this morning and apparently the payload capacity is the same as diesel. The recent bump in max weight from 80k to 85k lbs will allow all EV semi-trucks to carry the same maximum load that diesels can carry. Game changer with a 500 mile range.
 
I'm sure Elon will take your good advice under strong consideration.
He's the richest man in the world, Tesla is the most valuable car company in the world, builds the #1 revenue earning car in the world and has every other car company chasing him.

Not to mention, SpaceX, Neuralink, Boring Co and now Twitter. Depending on what he does with Twitter, it just might become the biggest win of all.
Yep. Elon's a real Bozo...
I'm a capable and qualified guy and for a while was absolutely tops in my field. If I were not ready to retire, I'd work my butt off for Elon and, yes, help make the worlds richest man richer. There are a lot of people who are jealous of Elon and his success. Those who say: "why help make the worlds richest man richer" are exceptionally short sighted. The reasons are simple enough to understand. 1) To earn plenty of money for personal success, 2) To do something you love, 3) To be part of something bigger than you. 4) Elon's money is not under his mattress, it's in the companies, and by default, goes to his employees and contractors. The uber rich like Elon make the world work. No poor person has ever given me a job.

However, today's cultural insanity fills people with an entitlement mentality. I'm the boss and I have not received one resume in the last 2 years. It does, at times, seem that nobody wants to do actual work (of course that's not really true, the successful do work hard). The result is a lack of success in their lives. I now dismiss these people and ignore them.

JZ6CNRKV3RNK3EJIRP72WGX3AQ.jpg


tesla-model-s-will-officially-participate-in-fia-sanctioned-racing-series.webp


_116370061_comparison_of_rockets_-2x_640-nc.png
 
Last edited:
I did some research this morning and apparently the payload capacity is the same as diesel. The recent bump in max weight from 80k to 85k lbs will allow all EV semi-trucks to carry the same maximum load that diesels can carry. Game changer with a 500 mile range.
Good post and I understand what you are saying and I am sure in 90% ?? of the time that is good. But it still means a Semi EV can not carry the same cargo weight of a diesel as a diesel can also have a max gross weight of 85k which without a battery pack allows more weight for cargo.
Im sure you can see by my previous posts I think the EV Semis are going to take off like crazy and will be all over the interstates in 10 years and very positive on the idea.
I was just stating the battery pack will limit to some degree the weight of cargo without even knowing the vehicle weights of diesel vs EV involved and I could even be wrong, just commenting because I heard batteries add substantial weight without knowing all the numbers on weight. Im sure it out there by now.
 
Last edited:
Good post and I understand what you are saying and I am sure in 90% ?? of the time that is good. But it still means a Semi EV can not carry the same cargo weight of a diesel as a diesel can also have a max gross weight of 85k which without a battery pack allows more weight for cargo
That is correct. The 500 mile range thing is NOT 70mph interstate travel. And the battery weight required for an 80,000 pound rig to do 70MPH and 500 miles is in the neighborhood of 17-18 THOUSAND pounds. This is all cool stuff, for sure, but we need to understand that Diesel will remain king for long distance transport.
 
Good post and I understand what you are saying and I am sure in 90% ?? of the time that is good. But it still means a Semi EV can not carry the same cargo weight of a diesel as a diesel can also have a max gross weight of 85k which without a battery pack allows more weight for cargo
Keep in mind that trailers and containers for the moment aren't getting any larger to accommodate the extra 2000lbs so it'll be somewhat moot but ya. Tesla semi will take over everything but the longest of hauls. Especially intra-urban routes such as Port-Of-Entry. The air quality will improve drastically since you won't have idling diesels/APU.
 
Last edited:
Keep in mind that trailers and containers for the moment aren't getting any larger to accommodate the extra 2000lbs so it'll be somewhat moot but ya. Tesla semi will take over everything but the longest of hauls. Especially intra-urban routes such as Port-Of-Entry. The air quality will improve drastically since you won't have idling diesels/APU.
I was just coming back to say I was watching Daves video on page two, I was not aware that EV semis ONLY are being given the extra weight limit. So my post is wrong and you are right. It's actually a pretty good video.
I know many in here think for some reason I am anti EV but if they read all my posts they will know I am not. I just question and question everything until proven.

I think the Semis will be a hit, even the long haul. Not all boxed goods are anywhere near the max gross weight. I dare say not even the majority but I have no idea.
I can see nationwide EV transportation network supporting the EV semi. Just the fact that the big names are already putting in orders for them says a lot. One thing that is not answered for me, I keep seeing the savings of 200k to companies when in use over something like 3 years, ok, great, but the one question I have is how much more does the EV semi cost. Just because I question, doesnt mean I am against something.
 
Last edited:
As a semi mechanic, one concern is the force on the trailer king pin when a Tesla semi driver guns it. These are forces we haven’t seen in the real world yet.
Last week I saw in the left hand turn lane for the first time in my life a semi trailer [cattle trailer] that for some reason detached from the tractor . The trailer was planted to the pavement so I would guess the landing gear collapsed when the tractor and trailer separated . No other vehicles were involved and I thought is was interesting. I wonder if the latching mechanism some how failed or the operator didn't check the lock up when hooking up or some one pulled the lever as sabotage.
 
How it compares to diesels is one conversation.
I'm not super interested in that conversation.

How it compares to other electrics is what I'm interest in.
Since most of the big boys have annoucned the will be building electrics, the guy that builds the best one will take the market.

I found this interesting as I do many of EE's analysis.


This is a really good video.
Just for the record, I love this EV semi idea, its going to take over the roadways I think and a grand slam for Tesla, the one thing I dont give a rat about is CO2 emissions. (yes I had to say that) :geek:
 
Last edited:
That is correct. The 500 mile range thing is NOT 70mph interstate travel. And the battery weight required for an 80,000 pound rig to do 70MPH and 500 miles is in the neighborhood of 17-18 THOUSAND pounds. This is all cool stuff, for sure, but we need to understand that Diesel will remain king for long distance transport.
I was watching the video Dave posted, if correct he seems to imply that the engine weight ect of a diesel is much more heavy and with the Federal government allowing EVs to be more heavy there is a penalty but maybe not as much as we think. I dont know anything near what you do and also in the video he refers to 82k instead of the 85k that "BMWturbo" is referring to. Btu a 2000 lb advantage to an EV doesnt seem like a heck of a lot. BTW thanks for the info on the batteries, I had no idea what weight range we were talking, that is quite a bit.
I find subjects like this fascinating and enjoy learning about it. (which is mostly in here and than searching on my own)

 
That is correct. The 500 mile range thing is NOT 70mph interstate travel. And the battery weight required for an 80,000 pound rig to do 70MPH and 500 miles is in the neighborhood of 17-18 THOUSAND pounds. This is all cool stuff, for sure, but we need to understand that Diesel will remain king for long distance transport.
Careful, the EV lovers don't want to read things like this. ;)
 
This is a really good video.
Just for the record, I love this EV semi idea, its going to take over the roadways I think and a grand slam for Tesla, the one thing I dont give a rat about is CO2 emissions. (yes I had to say that) :geek:

Jason does a nice job on most things and is often quoted here.

I'm right there with you on CO2, the green I care about most is the money in my wallet.
 
I'm a capable and qualified guy and for a while was absolutely tops in my field. If I were not ready to retire, I'd work my butt off for Elon and, yes, help make the worlds richest man richer. There are a lot of people who are jealous of Elon and his success. Those who say: "why help make the worlds richest man richer" are exceptionally short sighted. The reasons are simple enough to understand. 1) To earn plenty of money for personal success, 2) To do something you love, 3) To be part of something bigger than you. 4) Elon's money is not under his mattress, it's in the companies, and by default, goes to his employees and contractors. The uber rich like Elon make the world work. No poor person has ever given me a job.

However, today's cultural insanity fills people with an entitlement mentality. I'm the boss and I have not received one resume in the last 2 years. It does, at times, seem that nobody wants to do actual work (of course that's not really true, the successful do work hard). The result is a lack of success in their lives. I now dismiss these people and ignore them.
I have posted before that a key reason we bought our Model 3 almost 4 years ago was the jobs Tesla brought to Silicon Valley. After GM and then NUMMI shuttered, thousands of direct jobs were lost in Fremont and thousands more indirect. Houses were lost, local businesses suffered and the local tax base was decimated because NUMMI was the biggest employer in Fremont.

Today there are 22K workers at Tesla Fremont. Far more than NUMMI ever had. From the high tech development to the mfg line workers, Tesla is always hiring.

I will buy another car from this great American company.
 
For all the naysayers... The Fremont plant is the #1 plant by production numbers in America. I have several cars built there: 1965 4-4-2, 1993 Toyota 4WD PU (probably close to 400K now, still in service) and our Model 3.
1668799537791.jpg
 
This is an interesting thread; I've read it all and followed zero links. I've seen braking come up several times and some seem to have concerns. Golly, [SARCASM]I cannot imagine why.[/SARCASM]

Let' assume basic "18 wheeler" geometry. Many years ago, most southeastern USA over-the-road vehicles had one driven axle, those than needed rough terrain capability were "twin screw" driving 2 axles. Most braking was by friction brakes on all 5 axles. (yes, I'm aware of "Jake Brakes").

So, an 18 wheeler propelled electrically; will there be batteries, controllers, and motors on the trailer? That makes sense in the regen braking to partially recharge batteries. Frequently (always?) a loaded vehicle will have more load on the trailer than on the tractor.

The kingpin load on rapid acceleration was mentioned above; a powered trailer would seem to mostly compensate for any excess. Braking wouldn't be a kingpin issue either way, just whether trailer braking was regen to the limit, then friction.

Are these well researched and discussed issues I have missed? Are all the manufacturers addressing them in the same way?
 
I think the starting torque and load on the pin a concern - this is the least of the worries for a great engineering company.
His claim to never have to replace brakes is a tall claim but it is possible with common sense use of regen braking, The bigger concern should be cost of replacing those rear tires for a semi EV owner,
 
According to Jason Fenske from Engineering Explained under absolutely perfect conditions, I.e flat terrain, at 60 mph, 70f or (21.1 c) and in daylight the tesla will use 797.7 KWH or almost all of its battery capacity of 800 KWH. This doesn't include hills, headlights, or other accessories being used. With Jason's calculations if you add a 1% grade, or ie almost nothing keep in mind I-70 in Colorado has an average of 6% grade the steepest spot is 9.4% grade. If you add a 1% grade to 500 miles of claimed range or 100 miles, a 10 mph headwind and a 70 mph speed you would need 2,011.8 KWH which is alot more than the claimed 800 KWH battery that Tesla claims. This would give an actual range of 250 Miles. Call me a skeptic but I don't see the actual range as being very truthful.
I've been told, and have read, that the maximum allowable grade on U.S. interstate highways is 7%. According to this article, it's a little different. Regardless, your 9.4% figure seems a bit out of line.

 
I've been told, and have read, that the maximum allowable grade on U.S. interstate highways is 7%. According to this article, it's a little different. Regardless, your 9.4% figure seems a bit out of line.

Just outside of Lake City, Colorado, Slumgullion Pass is an ultra-high mountain pass with an elevation of 11,530 ft (3,514 m). With grades on the north side of the pass up to 9%, State Highway 149 is the steepest, maintained paved road in Colorado.
 
Back
Top