Tesla To Unveil Electric Tractor Trailer

Tesla to Unveil Electric Tractor Trailer

I'm sort of a tech geek and I generally dig what Elon puts out. It is going to be interesting to see if he can make a E-Rig that is comparable in both performance and price to the diesel rigs.

What do you guys and gals think?

Will reserve opinion until we see the stats. How far.can it go on a charge, how long will it take to recharge, what is the method of recharge, what is the pulling power?

Recharge method is going to be critical. If it uses a small diesel generator to keep the batteries charged, that's great. If you have to plug in each day, that's going to be problematic. They will have to build tons of recharge stations all around the country. Imagine how it is now, where you may be trying to find a place to park for the night, and all the truck stops are full.

That's one issue, but imagine if you are on a low battery and can't find a place to charge.

I haven't looked into it any, but I don't see how it could be done. The energy density in batteries is so much lower than that of gasoline, you wouldn't be able to haul as much cargo and stay in legal weight limits.

Elon Musk is an awesome guy, though. We hear so much about worthless exploitative CEOs like Steve Jobs, and not enough about people that are actually changing the world in big ways, and for the better.

I wonder how much weight the batteries will add? Then there is the recharge cycles, how long will it take to charge, and how far will it go. So far they estimate they may be able to go 600 miles on a charge with the Model S, but it is at 24 miles per hour. Since they can't get the mileage and speed needed from any of their other models, I doubt the tractor trailer will have much distance, unless the trailer is all battery. Then comes the recharge, they would have to build it into the truck stops, which will take a bit of time.

ChosenOne,

I was curious so I looked it up. Diesel has gravimetric energy density of 13,333 wh/kg whereas lithium ion batteries found in the tesla are in the range of 100-243wh/kg.

Which means it's ~54.87x heavier to store the same amount of energy on a truck in a battery. So 200 gallons of diesel weighs 1236.6lbs, and that amount of energy stored in batteries would weigh 67,852lbs best case. LOL

Which means it's ~54.87x heavier to store the same amount of energy on a truck in a battery. So 200 gallons of diesel weighs 1236.6lbs, and that amount of energy stored in batteries would weigh 67,852lbs best case. LOL

You're not storing all of the required energy in static batteries. You have a massive generator producing the electricity as you go down the road.

Brett,

Where are you getting the details on Tesla's truck? I've not found them yet.

Brett,

Where are you getting the details on Tesla's truck? I've not found them yet.

I don't have any details. I just know that anything that's powered by electric motors has to have a generator on-board. Trains operate that way. They run a giant diesel generator which powers electric motors which turn the wheels.

Well, the Nikola One truck uses hydrogen fuel cells. To run a generator to charge batteries/power a motor is much less efficient than just burning the fuel to power the truck in the first place. I'm guessing they make up for this fact with regenerative braking, if what you're saying is true.

I was out chopping wood, and realized that people around here totally wouldn't interpret the things I said in here in the same way they were meant. When I said, "I don't see how it could be done." I meant with Albany Mike's criteria of comparable performance and price range, and with current technology. Further, I was thinking of an actual electric truck, and not a hybrid.

I'm sure whatever Tesla has cooked up is promising, and I'm sure it'll help pave the way to more pragmatic solutions. I have great respect for Elon Musk... I just wish he was better at talking. (Guy sounds like a rambling idiot.)