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

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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 @PicturesOfABetterTomorrow if you had spent 30 seconds to read the link, you would know your reply is completely wrong.

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@SusanInFlorida It really is not. This toy has been absolutely torn apart by various publications that actually specialize in trucking for at least a year now. It is DOA to anyone who actually is in the trucking industry.

Your article doesn't even address this and ignores the issue entirely.

It is nothing but a pro Elon Musk fluff piece.

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@SusanInFlorida The fact the "big" contract everyone is going on about kind of proves my point. DHL. Carrying letters and people's Christmas parcels is not exactly heavy cargo. A glorified UPS van.

The extra weight doesn't just impact how much product you can carry. Talk to someone in the tire industry. The extra weight also means you burn through tires faster which means your maintenance costs also go up too.

That even applies to your standard Tesla sedan.

Physics matters.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow agreed. this thing isn't going to haul crushed rocks.

but for packages, bakery goods, clothing, corn, compressed natural gas, and amazon deliveries its "da bomb"

PicturesOfABetterTomorrow · 41-45, M

@SusanInFlorida I think managing expectations is in order too. Looking up the DHL deal and that is 150 trucks.

Mack sold 18000 trucks just last quarter alone.

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.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@PicturesOfABetterTomorrow i don't want "all EVs to succeed".

I don't want all television shows greenlighted for another season

i don't want all data centers fast tracked for construction

i don't want all narcotics legalized

i don't want all housing subsidized

i don't want extra guac on my stuff from Taco Bell