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a9h74j

Claims approximately $30 vs previous $170 on a 200 mile trip. I have not checked the math.

Is there a loss of payload capacity? That is the concern I have frequently heard.

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Electricity is (sometimes) much cheaper than petrol.

But the devil is in the details.

The Tesla Super charger electricity rate can be x5 more expensive than regular electricity.

The battery may need replacing every 2-3 years according to the mileage guarantee. So now you have a $200K battery amortized over 1000 days which is approx ~$250 daily cost - every day.

And so on...

Still, EV trucks ARE the best options we have. Just beware the cheerleading hand waving bros ;)

There's no mention of payload capacity at all -- which makes the numbers entirely suspect.

Exactly, I wouldn't be surprised if a driver's paycheck is a substantial part of the total cost, so you might end up needing two to four trucks to haul the same payload due to extra weight of the batteries (and there's an 80k combined weight limit afaik). At $25/hour average (googled) trucker pay that 200 mile trip taking 3-4 hours would cost > $75 per driver. Fuel savings are calculated to be $140, every additional driver costs at least $75.

That's maybe the best use-case for FSD I've yet to see.

The average weight of a reasonably new semi is around 20k pounds without fuel which leaves 60k for cargo. Every pound the tesla weighs above 20k is a pound less cargo. Another consideration is the fact that tesla trucks won't be paying for huge amount of road wear they cause. The national average of state/federal tax on a gallon of diesel is around 65 cents. As things stand now an electric semi (just like electric cars) will be getting a free ride.

Considering that road damage is proportional to axle weight to the fourth power, I can see weight transport taxation in the near electric future...

All depends on if the cargo is volume limited or weight limited.

You don't have to solve every single problem at first even though it would of course be better.

Well, a Tesla Model X towed a 100-ton aircraft, albeit a short distance.

Imagine what a 4 or 5 motor-equipped semi would haul.

That is not very special. There have been humans that have towed planes too. Albeit for a short distance.

To encourage electric trucking, the feds allow electric trucks with payload to be 82 tons rather than the 80 tons normally allowed. Tesla claims their truck is only 1 ton heavier than a diesel truck with full tanks, so electric trucks have a slight payload advantage.

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