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To: Tell It Right

At least the drivers won’t have to worry about enough sleep time and taking regular breaks. The recharge time will see to that!


24 posted on 12/02/2022 11:44:14 AM PST by TheDon (Resist the usurpers)
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To: TheDon
I've read a little bit about the business model for using the electric semi trucks. It's strongly biased to large fleet operations. I think will be a hard reach for many independent truckers and small companies to compete for long haul.

Tesla is rolling out two tractors. The one in the OP article is the long haul. The second tractor is a short haul for local duty.

Long haul will probably roll out first on a LA - Las Vegas route. Hence, the 500 mile range specification.

Hub and spoke terminals will be spaced out at 400-500 mile intervals to fit the range and one driver day. Example: A east bound truck heads out from LA then stops at the LV terminal. In LV, the driver goes into crew rest and the truck disconnects from the trailer and goes to the charging station. The trailer is parked at the terminal and if a mixed load, some cargo removed and other cargo loaded. A new driver hooks up a charged tractor to the trailer and continues east. The trailer itself may only be stationary an hour or in LV before hitting the road east again to the next terminal that's 400-500 miles down the road. The first driver comes out of driver rest and hooks to a trailer going west to the LA terminal. In general, drivers have a regular route, an east-west round trip between LA and LV terminals.

It takes a significant investment for this hub and spoke network to spread across the US. The largest trucking companies largely have these already running between at least where their big customers are concentrated.

62 posted on 12/02/2022 4:32:01 PM PST by Hootowl99
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