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Tesla's Electric Semi Truck Will Reportedly Get 200-300 Miles Per Charge (reuters.com)
According to Reuters, Tesla next month plans to unveil an electric big-rig truck with a working range of 200 to 300 miles, a sign that the company is targeting regional hauling for its entry into the commercial freight market. From the report: Chief Executive Elon Musk has promised to release a prototype of its Tesla Semi truck next month in a bid to expand the company's market beyond luxury cars. The entrepreneur has tantalized the trucking industry with the prospect of a battery-powered heavy-duty vehicle that can compete with conventional diesels, which can travel up to 1,000 miles on a single tank of fuel. Tesla's electric prototype will be capable of traveling the low end of what transportation veterans consider to be "long-haul" trucking, according to Scott Perry, an executive at Miami-based fleet operator Ryder System. Perry said he met with Tesla officials earlier this year to discuss the technology at the automaker's manufacturing facility in Fremont, California.
I guess you missed the part where this is aimed at regional hauling, not long haul? For an example: Costco's Pacific Northwest distribution center is just outside of Seattle, WA. One of their busiest stores is in Portland, OR. That is under a 150mi trip. The truck would charge while being loaded/unloaded. This sort of truck would be PERFECT for these types of routes.
Some basic facts that everyone gets wrong almost every time there is a discussion of electric vehicles.
1) Maximum battery charge rate is not a constant. Empty batteries charge faster than full ones.
2) Maximum battery charge rate in miles/hour of charge is much greater in bigger batteries than it is in small ones.
3) At superchargers, the batteries are the limiting factor for charge rate, not the chargers.
That means at a super charger, it takes about an hour to go from almost any charge to 100% charge.
Truck drivers can only drive 10 out of every 14 hours and then need at least 10 hours off.
Driving 300 miles is going to take at least 4 hours.
So the driver drives for 4 hours, chargers for 1, drivers for 4 more hours, charges for 1 more hour, then drives 2 more hours before he has to stop anyway.
It would actually be more time efficient to stop more often for less time.
Drivers that want to cheat on their logs will be at a disadvantage with electric trucks.
Team drivers may not want to use them.
They did. Tesla Model S battery can be replaced in 1 minute 35 seconds. They demonstrated it on stage back in 2013. And there was a pilot battery swap station built between LA and SF I believe. But there was no call for it. No one ever used it.