I did the math in another post.
Based on recent data, replacing all US combination truck (tractor-trailer) shipping with Tesla Semis at 1.7 kWh per mile would require approximately 43 to 45 1-Gigawatt electric (GWe) nuclear reactors to power the entire fleet, assuming they operate continuously.
1. Total Annual Mileage (Combination Trucks)Total Miles: Combination trucks (the “shipping” fleet) traveled approximately 195.76 billion miles in 2023.
Total Annual Energy: (195.76 \ billion miles x 1.7 kWh/mile = 332.79billion kWh) (or 332.79 Terawatt-hours/TWh) per year.
But but long haul semi bros and charges times. Irrelevant look at the real world data.
It’s in their minds less than 7% of all freight moves more than 1000 miles. 87% is under 250 and the Tesla Semi does that with ease today.
How long to charge....
“The Tesla Semi Megacharger charges the Tesla Semi at a rate of 1.2 megawatts (1,200 kW), enabling the truck to replenish up to 60–70% of its battery range in just 30 minutes. This allows for roughly 300 miles of added range in half an hour, primarily using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) standard”
Most states mandatory rest breaks are longer than this.
The vast majority of trucking by tonnage moved is regional and under 500 miles per day.
Yeah the numbers.
Breakdown of Truck Tonnage by Distance (2024–2025)
Recent data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and the Department of Energy highlights a strong concentration of freight in short-distance brackets:
Under 100 miles: Approximately 44% of total truck tonnage.
100 to 249 miles: Approximately 43% of total truck tonnage.
Total Regional (Under 250 miles): Roughly 87% of all U.S. truck freight tonnage moves within this range.
Long-Haul (1,000+ miles): Only about 6.4% of total freight weight travels 1,000 miles or more
Based on total U.S. light-duty vehicle miles and Tesla Model 3 efficiency, powering all light vehicle travel with Tesla Model 3s would require approximately 100 to 150 1-GWe (Gigawatt-electric) nuclear power plants.
The BreakdownTotal Light Vehicle Miles: As of early 2026, Americans drive over 3.2 trillion miles annually.
Model 3 Efficiency: Real-world usage indicates an average efficiency of roughly 4 miles per kWh (or 250 Wh/mile).Total
Electricity Needed: 3.2 trillion miles \ 4 miles/kWh = 800 billion kWh (or 800 TWh) per year.
Nuclear Plant Output: A typical 1-GWe nuclear plant running at 90% capacity produces roughly 7.88 billion kWh
We could just cover the existing parking spaces for vehicles and power not only them , trucks too, but also the entire country.
https://x.com/JessePeltan/status/1844827966066377060
“Solar covered parking could generate as much electricity as all existing sources combined in the U.S.
(~4,400 TWh/year)
- U.S. has an estimated 1-2 billion parking spaces
- 1 billion standard sized parking spaces = 14 billion square meters (3.4 TW @ 24% efficiency)
- 4,400 TWh/year (17% CF, 14% system losses)
- U.S. electricity generation 4,178 TWh (2023)
U.S. electricity generation:
https://eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=427&t=3
Capacity factor and loss assumptions:
https://nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65298.pdf “
I saw several solar covered parking lots when I was in Cabo San Lucas, MX a few years back. Not only do they generate electricity, the keep your car in the shade when you are in Costco or the supermarket.
If the USA gave a TAX CREDIT for electricity generation, every Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, Target, Menards, etc would put these solar panels in their parking lots all over the country. Plus on the flat rooks of their buildings.