This is where Supercharger V3 comes into play.
Imagine a ~500kWh battery pack being charged in about an hour.
Imagine an owner/operator's fuel bill being cut down, 90%!
I wonder if there could be some kind of discount for operators that agree to run x amount of loads for Tesla, in exchange for free charging, or something.
IIRC 2008 the first US electric heavy tractors went into service at Long Beach Pier. Balqon? They also sell LiFePO4 batteries. But they never made interstate trucks. Why?
Somebody check my math. To climb a 3300 feet with a loaded Class 8 in California (80,000lb), requires an additional 100kWh of power minimum just for the weight x height. Power required for a modern aero design tractor-van combo is 150 kW to maintain 60 mph on level ground. A 10 mph headwind changes that to 190 kW. And as you see any elevation change takes a huge amount of battery reserve capacity.
There are interstates that are over 6600' or 200kWh of extra capacity required.
And trucks can consume 300kW just by going the speed limit in a headwind in areas that do not have lower truck speed limits. 70mph in a 10mph headwind in modern aero truck is 300kW.
Things get worse when your trailer is not aerodynamic. Flatbed cargo or open car haulers can nearly double the fuel consumption at higher speeds.
And the whole weight thing is a serious problem. The best Class 8's can carry about 50,000lbs so it's critical to keep the trailer and tractor light by using aluminum, fiberglass, honeycomb, composites, etc. Every pound you strip off the truck means money in your wallet and fewer man-hours of labor, less fuel, less capital costs. You don't even fill your tanks unnecessarily. But you are really, really going to need over 1,000 kWh to be even marginally practical for limited EV interstate hauls. That will give a safe 300 miles laden on level ground regardless of wind in the mild climates at 60mph. You can't do significant elevation changes though. Right now, 1,000 kWh of battery weighs >10,000lb. Then 100% duty cycle inverters to handle at least 300kW sustained, and 300kW sustained motor. The diesel powertrain including 150 gallons and 15sp is under 6,000lb. You are suddenly too expensive because your load capacity requires more man-hours and capital.
And it should last 1,000,000 miles to be competitive from a capital cost perspective.
The scale of the task is being forgotten. Yes, there have been electric tractors running for a long time now. But they are used for flat areas, short range, low speeds, mostly dock or freight hubs. It's almost impossible to find out about them due to all the noise about 'future electric trucks' by the Marketeers. That must sting. Companies who have already been doing it are being shut out by companies dreaming about it to sell cars or stocks.
