AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
If they had a battery changing system like the fork-lifts in the big RDCs then it might work.
ChrisArbon:
If they had a battery changing system like the fork-lifts in the big RDCs then it might work.
It’s obvious that the intention is to create a dedicated charging system making the customer totally dependent on the vehicle provider not only to provide the vehicle but also its fuelling requirements in addition to the road fuel taxation angle.
It takes 30 mins to charge? Got time to sneak a 45 in on the charging station then!
Carryfast:
Franglais:
Are you not failing to take account of the energy recuperation systems of these new vehicles?
The overall energy expended will be less for a well set up electric vehicle.
The energy used to accelerate will be recouped when slowing down,as the motors become generators and recharge the batteries. Similarly the energy used to climb a hill is regained when the batteries are recharged by electric braking on the descent.
Burning diesel to ascend/accelerate and generating heat by friction braking/compressing air, doesn`t have this benefit.
Great.In which case it’s also possible to combine regenerative braking,like CPC KERS system,with conventional ICE technology and no need for electric motors/generators,control units and heavy ( very ) expensive batteries.Nor with any need for electricity charged at 15p per kwh + road fuel taxes.Let alone when that’s a captive market lumbered with the choice of expensive nuclear generated electricity,supplied through a dedicated retailer,or nothing.Strangely though,if regenerative braking was that important in saving fuel costs,so far there seems to have been no widespread demand for such systems to be put into conventional truck drivelines.
What? Why would there be a demand for regenerative braking in a conventional internal combustion engined truck? If you can design brakes that can refill the tank with diesel then there would be MASSIVE demand.
I’d buy shares in the company with that patent.
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switchlogic:
AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
All true, Luke.
And even Andrew wouldn’t think that 30 minutes break after 400 miles is excessive, surely?
The launch hasn’t mentioned payload anywhere it seems? Have you seen it?
If that is a problem, and if he had that sorted, he wouldn’t be shy telling us,would Musk reduce battery size and add a heat engine of some type to create a hybrid?
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switchlogic:
To be fair probably cheaper than installing diesel tanks and pumps. And they charge at such a rate you really don’t need one charger per truck
Do the maths. Google how much for a bunded tank, a few pumps & then guesstimate the cost of the civils work of connecting them up.
Then do the maths of a fleet of these trucks needing charging. How many kVA’s are required? Then consider how many transport yards have ready access to that kind of feed, then guesstimate the cost of the civils involved in supplying that feed into the yard & distributing it to points where the trucks can park.
Dork Lard:
switchlogic:
To be fair probably cheaper than installing diesel tanks and pumps. And they charge at such a rate you really don’t need one charger per truck
Do the maths. Google how much for a bunded tank, a few pumps & then guesstimate the cost of the civils work of connecting them up.
Then do the maths of a fleet of these trucks needing charging. How many kVA’s are required? Then consider how many transport yards have ready access to that kind of feed, then guesstimate the cost of the civils involved in supplying that feed into the yard & distributing it to points where the trucks can park.
At 30 minutes to charge for 400miles, why not recharge points on loading bays?
And before anyone says they’ll be knocked down, they don’t have to the same size and shape as a diesel pump!
Charging units inside the warehouse with a retracting cable on the outside.
Foolproof. But not driver proof probably. [emoji3]
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Those “Megachargers” Tesla are installing in the USA will be run on Solar power, Elon Musk states they will not draw from the electricity grid and Tesla owners will pay the cheapest rates for recharging.
The drivetrain (4 electric motors) on that Tesla Semi are warranted for 1 million miles guaranteed.
Franglais:
switchlogic:
AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
All true, Luke.
And even Andrew wouldn’t think that 30 minutes break after 400 miles is excessive, surely?
The launch hasn’t mentioned payload anywhere it seems? Have you seen it?
If that is a problem, and if he had that sorted, he wouldn’t be shy telling us,would Musk reduce battery size and add a heat engine of some type to create a hybrid?
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Thought i see on twitter the payload was 38000kg.Wich it said is the limit for the us.
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daftvader:
Franglais:
switchlogic:
AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
All true, Luke.
And even Andrew wouldn’t think that 30 minutes break after 400 miles is excessive, surely?
The launch hasn’t mentioned payload anywhere it seems? Have you seen it?
If that is a problem, and if he had that sorted, he wouldn’t be shy telling us,would Musk reduce battery size and add a heat engine of some type to create a hybrid?
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Thought i see on twitter the payload was 38000kg.Wich it said is the limit for the us.
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At the launch the figures given were for A USA class 8 truck with a gross weight of 80,000lbs, or approx 36,000kgs.
Whoever wrote that on twitter was mistaken.
I still can`t find any mention of payload or unladen weight.
Franglais:
And even Andrew wouldn’t think that 30 minutes break after 400 miles is excessive, surely?
I reckon it’ll take a little while to connect and disconnect too, like a tail lift, so It’ll be your 45 by the time you’ve got out, walked round, connected, waited your thirty mins, disconnected, put the cable away.
Handy.
lancpudn:
Those “Megachargers” Tesla are installing in the USA will be run on Solar power, Elon Musk states they will not draw from the electricity grid and Tesla owners will pay the cheapest rates for recharging.
The drivetrain (4 electric motors) on that Tesla Semi are warranted for 1 million miles guaranteed.
How large a solar power array are you going to need to power charge one truck?
Are you going to charge straight form the solar power or will the charger store the electricity when not in use?
How many are you going to need for a fleet when they all come in and want charging?
How well does that system work during a long dark winter further North than California?
switchlogic:
AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
400 miles is about 640 kms 600 miles is about 960kms, what is the max theoretical Kms you can do on a days driving in a truck at max of 90km/h and a 10 hour day?
When cars were first invented they didn’t have a load of service stations, you got fuel from the chemists, infrastructures get built if there is a requirement.
However whether the power supply can keep up if suddenly large fleets of Electric truck all plug in to recharge from 5pm every night I don’t know, probably have to build loads of diesel fired power stations to keep up. 
muckles:
lancpudn:
Those “Megachargers” Tesla are installing in the USA will be run on Solar power, Elon Musk states they will not draw from the electricity grid and Tesla owners will pay the cheapest rates for recharging.
The drivetrain (4 electric motors) on that Tesla Semi are warranted for 1 million miles guaranteed.
How large a solar power array are you going to need to power charge one truck?
Are you going to charge straight form the solar power or will the charger store the electricity when not in use?
How many are you going to need for a fleet when they all come in and want charging?
How well does that system work during a long dark winter further North than California?
Has Elon Musk bitten off a little too much this time?
There are a lot of questions still need answering on this project. His cars are doing really well in the market place, although the factory cant keep up with demand. If we view this truck the same way as those models of cars that always pop up at the Geneva show, maybe as an aspiration rather than the first production model, itll make more sense? Ive little doubt this is the direction were headed, although it may be a bigger step than is really realistic at the moment?
I really think a hybrid would find a better market with the current state of battery technology. I admire Musks ambition, but is the technology there yet to support his project? Does he have something in the pipeline hes keeping secret?
muckles:
switchlogic:
AndrewG:
400-600 mile range long haul?? Hardly. These trucks will be ok for local deliveries but never for crossing Europe. Tesla would have to place charging points everywhere equal to present fuel station numbers . How about tare weight? With a ten tonne battery pack the net weight is going to be very drastically reduced. Tesla cant even keep up with orders for their cars let alone making huge claims re their latest venture.
The diesel engine is going to be around for a very long time yet…
In The grand scheme of things the vast majority of trucks will never leave their home country let alone cross Europe
400 miles is about 640 kms 600 miles is about 960kms, what is the max theoretical Kms you can do on a days driving in a truck at max of 90km/h and a 10 hour day?
When cars were first invented they didn’t have a load of service stations, you got fuel from the chemists, infrastructures get built if there is a requirement.
However whether the power supply can keep up if suddenly large fleets of Electric truck all plug in to recharge from 5pm every night I don’t know, probably have to build loads of diesel fired power stations to keep up.
If the early adopters are big own account users such as Walmart, then it`l be relatively easy to keep them on interdepot work with their own charging points. No owner driver or small operator is likely to want to invest all in an unproven truck. Big companies wanting to show their green credentials seem more likely to want the good publicity, and have enough cash to try it.
Maybe Musk is going to use a solar/battery farm scenario for his Megacharging system similar to what he did on the island of Kauri theverge.com/2017/3/8/14854 … -generator or like the ones in Australia/ Puerto Rico. 
lancpudn:
Maybe Musk is going to use a solar/battery farm scenario for his Megacharging system similar to what he did on the island of Kauri theverge.com/2017/3/8/14854 … -generator or like the ones in Australia/ Puerto Rico.
Maybe, if and when the Tesla truck gets to Europe, Tesla will build solar farms in Spain and the south, and wind or wave farms in the north? Serious investments will be required of course. Even someone as rich as Musk needs to bring investors with him.
A few of the exciting and innovative features of the Tesla truck.
On the Semi, Tesla’s Autopilot offers automated emergency braking, lane keeping and lane departure warnings to help encourage safe highway driving.
and the ability to stand fully when inside the cab.
There’s a removable jump seat for a passenger, too, offset and behind the main driver position.
offer navigation information, blind spot monitoring, and trip data logging applications. There’s also a suite of fleet management tools
Either US trucks are way behind or Tesla haven’t really looked at other trucks or the journalist reporting this have never had anything to do with modern trucks.