Hyperbole and big promises are to be expected when Elon Musk promotes a new product and based on his description of the soon-to-arrive Tesla Semi, the billionaire entrepreneur is sure he can disrupt the heavy trucking market.
It sounds good, but five weeks before the first deliveries the lack of publicly available information about the electric truck’s hauling capabilities and weight—which can’t exceed 82,000 pounds under U.S. road regulations—could give big fleet operators pause before placing an order. An image ofshows a vehicle that weighs 82,000 pounds, including its load, without indicating whether it’s the 500-mile version Musk mentioned or a lighter 300-mile Semi.
Musk’s reference to his truck’s cargo “capacity,” for example, isn’t particularly meaningful because it’s an industry term referring to volume, measured in square feet or meters, rather than weight. So for Pepsi, the trucks it’s getting may have no difficulty hauling crates of potato chips from its Frito-Lay unit but may not be able to carry full loads of much heavier Pepsi soda.
That’s an issue because of federal weight limits, which are designed to protect roads. Federal road rules limit the total weight of diesel trucks and their cargo to no more than 80,000 pounds to avoid potential damage to highways and bridges. Battery-, hydrogen- and natural gas-powered semis get an additional 2,000-pound weight exemption to encourage the use of cleaner vehicles, but that’s probably not sufficient in the case of the Tesla Semi.
Keeping large fleets of big electric trucks powered up also presents challenges for trucking companies. At a minimum, the hours needed to recharge them means truck drivers will be idle for longer periods than if they’re getting diesel at a truck stop. And even getting the charging infrastructure they’ll need may also be a headache, said Brian Daugherty, chief technology officer for the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association.
Follow me sonofkenya682
Nice one