Diesel 18 wheelers are officially dead. Tesla electric semi has 500 mile range and about half the fuel cost.

Guess what a diesel 18 wheeler semi (the tractor/cab) stickers for? $150,00 on average. They can go as high as $250,000. You can get a basic brand X model for $90,000, but those have the worst fuel economy and other drawbacks. What’s the MPG for the good ones? 6.5 mpg. That’s if you know how to use all the gears. Some have 20 gears and that gets you better mileage. Don’t ride the clutch!

Diesel fuel costs $3.70 per gallon. (It was $4.99 a gallon in 2022). To go 500 miles in a diesel semi you'd use 77 gallons and it would cost you close to $300. Ask for a credit limit increase on your Visa card, if you’re going across country.

DHL (shipping company, like Fed Ex and UPS) tested a Tesla semi for a couple of weeks. (see link at bottom). It needed 2KwH per mile. Electricity costs 20 cents per KwH (on average – some public chargers rip you off for double or triple). So it costs 40 cents per mile in a Tesla semi, $200 to go the same 500 miles. Let me repeat that – fuel costs are cut by 1/3.

Tesla might about to win the commercial/semi-truck lottery here. Good thing, because nobody wants their dumpster styled cyberpunk truck. Tesla’s share price has bizarrely doubled (from $250 to nearly $500) in the past 9 months, amidst falling sales of its consumer vehicles. Investment analysts are evidently betting the farm on Tesla’s new semi.

There are only two potential problems. You can’t top off these mammoths at a Wawa public charger. You need dedicated chargers at your fleet lot. Or at truck stops.

The other is capital investment. It costs $150,000 to put a Tesla semi on the road. And they are going to be better on local trips, not long-haul "one lap of America" runs, where the energy recovered from braking is minimal. But still, if you’re a fleet operator considering a diesel engine with 16 cylinders, vs an electric motor, which one scares you the most about future breakdowns, maintenance, and repairs?

I’m just sayin’ . . .

DHL took a Tesla electric semi for a test drive and it was left shocked by the outcome

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

This has been debunked probably a year ago now.

This is at best a tech demonstrator, not a viable product yet.

The fatal flaw that is not discussed here at all is trucking everywhere has regulations on maximum weights. That is the total weight of the truck, not just the max weight of your cargo.

The current batteries are way too heavy. This creates a fatal problem because you cannot haul large enough quantities of product to make them profitable. About the only exceptions would be something like CPUs that weigh a few grams but are worth a few hundred dollars per unit.

Anything else and you cannot haul enough cargo to make it make sense.

Basically we will need to come up with battery tech that drops the weight by quite a bit before a semi goes electric.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow you probably hated it when the first Tesla hit the road too? "There were 10 million gasoline cars sold this year !!!!!! Aaagghh !!!)

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@SusanInFlorida Not at all. I actually want EVs to succeed but I almost am not going to support glazing Elon Musk out of some Ayn Rand "maker" billionaire worship.