A Garbage Truck That Would Make Elon Musk Proud

Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 3, 2014 @10:39AM from the does-it-have-rockets? dept.

curtwoodward writes: Ian Wright knows how to build high-performance electric cars: he was a co-founder at Tesla Motors and built the X1, a street-legal all-electric car that can go from zero to 60 in 2.9 seconds. But he only cares about trucks now — in fact, boring old garbage trucks and delivery trucks are his favorite. Why? To disrupt the auto industry with electrification, EV makers should target the biggest gas (and diesel) guzzlers. His new powertrain is very high tech, combining advanced electric motors with an onboard turbine that acts as a generator when batteries run low.

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Low hanging fruit by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · 2014-10-03 10:47 · Score: 5, Insightful

SCHOOL BUSES. Usually low-speed, frequent starts & stops, usually only out for 2-3 hours at a time. Time to recharge between morning and afternoon routes. Current diesel models get terrible mileage. Perfect for teslafication.
Engines are more than just for movement: by Hartree · 2014-10-03 11:03 · Score: 5, Insightful

Fire trucks have to use their engines for extended periods to run the on board pumps during major fires.
Bad enough having to find a hydrant. Imagine having to find an electrical outlet with sufficient current capacity to keep electric pumps going after the batteries are down.