[Steverino]

Some interesting pro and con insights from someone in the business.

"Jackknifing is impossible." This is a lie.

"You have to sit there for 15 minutes while the tank gets filled." Truckers don't "sit there"

"[A truck cab is] a clutter of third-party devices, it's very difficult to use.... It's a pain-in-the-neck." No, it's not.

"We want a vehicle that accelerates like nothing else." I'm far more interested in braking. Show me how much the Semi can lop off that braking distance.

I'd want more mirrors.

With the central seating position, I don't see how that helps a trucker. I can't lean over to see if there's a Toyota Corolla camped out beside me. The central seating position hampers my commanding view when I need that view most: when I back up. For any backing maneuver, I watch both sides of the trailer in my mirrors to make sure I don't clobber anything, or I lean out of the truck to watch the trailer as I back. Being able to physically watch the trailer – not camera images on screens – can be the difference between making a clean back-up or making an insurance claim. Furthermore, I can't see around trucks in front of me without pulling halfway into another lane. When I need to exchange paperwork with the guard at a terminal, or the police, I can't lean out the window to do so.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/21/tesla-semi-trucker-questions/

 

[Barry]

Yes, interesting from a driver's opinion. It was already obvious that it is for shorter routes. As for most of the driver comfort/convenience issues, I think that will have little to do with deployment. Owners will buy it if the cost per mile, etc. is right. Drivers will adapt to using it or get another job with another line. Issues like mirror placement will probably be solved with aftermarket accessories. A driver is going to bolt on a fish eye mirror if he needs it to operate safely/efficiently.

 

[bro1999]

Some interesting pro and con insights from someone in the business.



https://www.engadget.com/2017/11/21/tesla-semi-trucker-questions/

Reminds me of when programmers "improve" an existing software suite and roll out a new version without seriously considering input from actual users, proud of themselves about all the dozens of additional features they've added, only to find out the users hate everything about the new software because it made the 3 things they do use the program for much harder to do.

 

[Mister Dave]

the Semi seems most impressive to those who don't know what it's like to be a truck driver.

Ummm......

When Musk made the case for a 20-percent savings over a diesel truck, he based the numbers on a 100-mile trip – fifty miles out, fifty miles back.

Leaving out TCO.

The Semi would be perfect for port work, which involves lots of waiting, idling, stop-and-go traffic, and local out-and-back trips.

Tesla isn't reinventing the wheel here, just a more expensive one. These trucks already exist.

Being able to physically watch the trailer – not camera images on screens – can be the difference between making a clean back-up or making an insurance claim.

Worth repeating. I've seen one case of a load driving off undelivered because the driver couldn't get it in the dock. The reason was different, but the result is the same.

I'd want more mirrors. The silver, condo-sleeper truck at the presentation only had cameras mounted at the rear of the tractor. The black, mid-roof truck supplemented physical mirrors on lengthy stalks on both sides of the cab. Most new trucks come with mirrors mounted on the front fenders that provide views of the front corners – my Kenworth had seven mirrors in total, I've seen plenty of trucks with more. You'd be amazed at the number of tiny concrete and reinforced steel impediments lurking at truck stops and customer terminals. I know such mirrors would hamper aerodynamics on the Tesla Semi, but when those $8 contraptions could save thousands on carbon fiber repairs and downtime, I don't see why anyone would go without them.

Speaking of TCO, cost of cameras and screens vs. mirrors. That's a lot of mirrors. Where will you put all those screens?

"We want a vehicle that accelerates like nothing else."

Got a mouse in your pocket? What a ridiculous thing to say.

"Jackknifing is impossible."

Let's have a look at that claim:

The Tesla Semi has active safety measures designed to prevent this from happening. It does this by taking advantage of its unique electric drivetrain, which includes independent motors for each of the wheels. The truck can sense distribution of weight across those wheels, and actuate the motors or brake them accordingly to maximize traction control, and automatically correct for thing like oversteer in response to weight shifts.

2 words: BLACK ICE. I was watching an episode of Highway Thru Hell where they dealt with black ice. In this case alone, and in support of Jonathon Ramsey, this is indeed a lie.

This project is a net net loser. The likelihood of Tesla recouping the capex on this is just about nill.

 

[Off Oil]

There must be ample surround view cameras built into this, I doubt mirrors are an issue.

 

[DonC]

Since the easiest thing for most people to do is what they're already doing, it can be hard getting someone to use something different. I don't know if the improvements that Tesla is touting are real improvements or not, but it's going to be hard to get people to accept them. This is particularly true when you're talking about a very expensive truck. For big ticket items people prefer the known to the unknown. Hard to get them to plunk down the money and take the leap.

 

[Upper5Percent]

So how many Superchargers is Tesla going to install in this rest area?

 

[scottf200]

Lot of input from truckers around the web ... a) Some truckers on TMC threads and if they are there they have some electric vehicle interest/knowledge. b) Reddit has some interesting threads on the topic as well. c) Quora has some nice back and forth. It can be very interesting as you watch some of these folks get educations on electric driving / charging /etc. Lot of details on time in the seat, duty time, required breaks, fueling time & monitoring of that, miles/patterns driven, problems when the trailer is 'pushing' the truck, ...

It'll be fascinating to watch this develop.

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/search?q=semi&restrict_sr=on
https://www.quora.com/search?q=tesla+semi

 

[Mister Dave]

So how many Superchargers is Tesla going to install in this rest area?

Toss a few of these in there too.

 

[Dutch]

My first though on seeing the Tesla Rig really was... "Gosh I hope those windows roll down". LOL

 

[Upper5Percent]

During the Tesla Semi rollout...did anyone notice what was NOT mentioned?

Autonomous Semis!!

He talked about Convoying instead...which has been played with by MB, etal

One must wonder what implies for for the rest of Tesla autonomous implementations...

 

[scottf200]

Fascinating interview. Skip ahead until you get to the interview.

11.24.17 – Reservation Holders Share New Details on Tesla Semi
Posted on November 24, 2017
– NFI Industries and Bison Transport place reservations for the Tesla Semi
– New details on Semi production plans and Tesla’s prototype
http://techcastdaily.com/?powerpress_pinw=206-tesladaily

 

[Bill Step]

this been posted yet,,sure makes sense.humm
http://driving.ca/tesla/auto-news/news/motor-mouth-the-inconvenient-truth-about-teslas-truck

https://seekingalpha.com/article/41...d3c892cd9554080b0afcd17f8&uprof=45&dr=1#/alt1

 

[volt spain]

Hey mister Dave I love the picture of the "small" charging rig you have in your house!!! Very very funny.

 

[Mister Dave]

Hey mister Dave I love the picture of the "small" charging rig you have in your house!!! Very very funny.

A sense of humor helps. Speaking of which..... posted by Bill above......

Tesla’s proposed Megacharger might have to actually be larger than two megawatts if Tesla wants to recharge 400 miles in just 30 minutes.

Hmmm, maybe I was onto something there?

 

[Mister Dave]

Tesla’s 100k Annual Truck Sales Goal Meets Skeptical Industry

In a recent conference call with Wall Street analysts, Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk predicted the company would be delivering 100,000 electric heavy-duty trucks annually four years from now.

It is an eye-popping number and one that has left much of the trucking industry skeptical.
.............
“Get real! That would be almost half of the total U.S. Class 8 sales in a good year. It is preposterous,” said Antti Lindstrom, a truck industry analyst with IHS Markit. “Anything could happen in enough time, say 2030 or 2040, but not in just four years.”
.........
To put the Musk prediction in perspective, truck manufacturer Navistar International Corp. forecasts 2018 to be among the strongest for heavy-duty vehicle sales in years. But even then, the truck and bus company projects U.S. and Canadian sales of Class 6 through 8 weight class trucks and buses to be 345,000 to 375,000 units.
.......................
Customers have announced reservations for about 500 Tesla trucks. Many are high-profile businesses such as UPS, PepsiCo, Walmart, Sysco and Anheuser-Busch. The company reportedly has hundreds more reservations from other customers.

But it has yet to land a large deal with the type of motor carrier or truck leasing company that typically orders thousands of trucks annually.

Ryder System Inc., for example, has placed an order for 2,500 electric pickup trucks from Loveland, Ohio, startup Workhorse Group.

Navistar recently completed a $200-million multi-year deal to sell 1,665 International LT semi-tractors to US Xpress, a large Chattanooga, Tenn., trucking company.

Industry analysts said Tesla will have to start logging orders on the same level to begin to reach Musk’s goal.
.........
“Every fleet is different, and without knowing all of the details underlying Tesla's assertions, it's impossible to stress-test the company's claims,” Potter said.

 

[turboguy327]

Yea, no thanks. I’ll quit driving if I have to sit in the middle of the cab. And I don’t care about acceleration. I care about maintaining my speed climbing a hill. Hard acceleration can damage the load. So no good reason for that. I want a good jake/regen brake system. That’s much more important. And I’d need 750 mile range at 80,000LBs or it’s just a waste for most OTR drivers.

 

[Don M]

During the Tesla Semi rollout...did anyone notice what was NOT mentioned?

Autonomous Semis!!

He talked about Convoying instead...which has been played with by MB, etal

One must wonder what implies for for the rest of Tesla autonomous implementations...

That's true - One day soon we'll see a convoy of Tesla semis with a driver in the first one and 4 or 5 others without a driver following that one wherever he goes

The thing any EV does so much better than any ICE powered vehicle is conservation of energy - When you slow or stop, you recoup a large part of the energy you used getting up to speed from a standing start. Pretty neat for a car, but especially important for an 80,000 pound truck. They get poor mileage on flat level ground, but they get really poor mileage on hills and in mountains because they burn extra fuel to get to the top of the hill and then they ride the brakes all the way down the other side, where an electric truck will use regenerative braking and recharge batteries on the way down - Their electric motors many last a couple million miles and so might their friction brakes

I have breakfast every Sunday with a trucker who has driven semi's for the past 50 years and he says he'll never live to see electric semi's - Too bad . . . . I'm gonna miss that guy!

Don