Gas

[DUCKMAN11]

Duckman you hit the nail on the head.

A guy I work with ordered a Ford lightning as soon as he could and they still can't tell him when he will see one.

I also have a question since you seem to be up on this stuff. I have seen quite a few EV charging stations popping up at convenience stores and rest areas. I have never stopped and checked one out. Interestingly I have yet to see anyone charging a car on one. Do they charge you for this? If so do you know how much it costs?

Your comment earlier on the $80k charging stations I am sure are being paid for with government subsidies and they are printing money to pay for them. No facts to back this up but I bet it's a good guess.

Im far far far away from being an expert at anything EV.

Most EV manufacturers sell a charger with the vehicle for at home use. It's all lumped into the cost of the vehicle. You can buy additional chargers for your office or vacation home. As far as public charging stations go you either buy a "subscription" where you get X amount of power per month or you pay by the Kw.


And you are 100% correct about government subsidies! Every wind turbine in west Texas is only possible because of government funding with printed money that has even less value now.

 

[2buffalo]

Every wind turbine in west Texas is only possible because of government funding with printed money that has even less value now.

Yeah. Remember Solyndra? Excellent use of tax payer money. This was solar panels not wind turbines but I know this garbage has happened with wind energy companies also.

About two years after the Obama administration co-signed $535 million loans to Solyndra,[2]​ the company filed for bankruptcy on September 1, 2011.[3]​[4]​ A 2015 report from the Department of Energy found major flaws in Solyndra's business practices and claimed the company made "inaccurate and misleading" statements to obtain the loan guarantees, and also found fault with Department of Energy oversight.

 

[Wedgy]

The super chargers that charge in ~2 hrs are 440 volts which you won't get at home. The batteries do not charge at a linear rate either, for example if you are empty it may take 2 hrs to charge to 50% then it slows down so another 2 hrs may get you to 70% then 4 hrs to get to 100%. The cost to replace the top of the line Tesla battery can run over $30K

 

[chav0_12]

The super chargers that charge in ~2 hrs are 440 volts which you won't get at home. The batteries do not charge at a linear rate either, for example if you are empty it may take 2 hrs to charge to 50% then it slows down so another 2 hrs may get you to 70% then 4 hrs to get to 100%. The cost to replace the top of the line Tesla battery can run over $30K

For someone living in the city it might be realistic to own and use an EV every day. For people that need a pick up for truck stuff there's no way it's realistic at this point. Maybe in a few years but even still it will be out of reach for a lot of people.

Then what happens to all of the businesses that thrive on selling fuel and the people they employ?

 

[Tidus56]

The super chargers that charge in ~2 hrs are 440 volts which you won't get at home. The batteries do not charge at a linear rate either, for example if you are empty it may take 2 hrs to charge to 50% then it slows down so another 2 hrs may get you to 70% then 4 hrs to get to 100%. The cost to replace the top of the line Tesla battery can run over $30K

Accurate data. This is exactly the experience everyone I know with an EV has explained.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

All of our EV trucks still use
Gear oil
Freon
Antifreeze
Power steering fluid
Transmission fluid

Blinkers are still non lubricated and run on 12v while the rest of the truck runs on 440v DC and a bunch of amps!!

 

[chav0_12]

All of our EV trucks still use
Gear oil
Freon
Antifreeze
Power steering fluid
Transmission fluid

Blinkers are still non lubricated and run on 12v while the rest of the truck runs on 440v DC and a bunch of amps!!

What's the antifreeze for?

 

[DUCKMAN11]

What's the antifreeze for?

Believe it or not it's for the cab heater. I would have thought they would have just used heat strips like in a heat pump unit.

 

[chav0_12]

Believe it or not it's for the cab heater and battery warmers

I guess that makes sense. I was trying to think and the only thing I could think was keeping the batteries from getting too cold. Never considered a heater core. Where does it get its heat from, just the batteries?

 

[DUCKMAN11]

I guess that makes sense. I was trying to think and the only thing I could think was keeping the batteries from getting too cold. Never considered a heater core. Where does it get its heat from, just the batteries?

It's crazy how they are set up. On some trucks there are motors on the end of each drive axle. On some trucks it's almost like a retrofit setup where the main drive motor runs to a transaxle type configuration. There is also an accessory motor that runs the AC pump, power steering pump, air compressor for the brakes and suspension etc. The whole engine bay is full of computer boxes and transistors and relays and God knows what else kinda voodoo.

Oh and they are silent! Like quieter than a golf cart. And will chirp 8 tires instantly. 60mph in an 1/8th mile is no problem. The torque is instant.

 

[JimFromTN]

With tesla's truck having a range of 500 miles and only using 2 kwh's per mile and costing $180k, all they have to do is throw in a driverless package for another $50k and the trucking industry will be unrecognizable in 10 years. Between the fuel savings and not having to pay truckers, they pay for themselves in a relatively short period of time. Its a no brainer for the industry.

 

[DUCKMAN11]

With tesla's truck having a range of 500 miles and only using 2 kwh's per mile and costing $180k, all they have to do is throw in a driverless package for another $50k and trucking industry will be unrecognizable in 10 years. Between the fuel savings and not having to pay truckers, they pay for themselves in a relatively short period of time. Its a no brainer for the industry.

Actually it's a huge brainer. All of those tesla numbers were fluffed btw. 180k was the cost in like 2019. And it's going to be a very very long time before the teamsters and the government sign off on a computer controlled 100k pound rolling battering ram.

 

[JimFromTN]

Actually it's a huge brainer. All of those tesla numbers were fluffed btw. 180k was the cost in like 2019. And it's going to be a very very long time before the teamsters and the government sign off on a computer controlled 100k pound rolling battering ram.

That was 2019. The only thing that keeps it from being cheaper today is supply issues. Budweiser did a test run 6 years ago with a driverless truck. I imagine the technology has evolved dramatically in the last 6 years. We now have cars on the road today where people sleep while the car drives them to work. They are not supposed to do it but they do. Elon Musk is predicted to be the worlds first trillionaire by 2024. He would not be investing in it if he did not think he would make money. You are correct about teamsters but Amazon doesn't use teamsters or at least not yet. Even though Bezos and Musk supposedly don't get along, amazon is the natural first choice for driverless electric trucks and when they start using them and their profits skyrocket even more, the rest of the non unionized carries will take notice. New carrier companies that use driverless electric trucks could easily start popping up everywhere.

This is all futuristic predictions that may never come to pass but based on the rapid advancement in technology and where we are at today, it certainly seems plausible in the not so distant future.

 

[snox801]

With tesla's truck having a range of 500 miles and only using 2 kwh's per mile and costing $180k, all they have to do is throw in a driverless package for another $50k and the trucking industry will be unrecognizable in 10 years. Between the fuel savings and not having to pay truckers, they pay for themselves in a relatively short period of time. Its a no brainer for the industry.

That's the only thing I want electric trucks for. Maybe they can program them to stay the f outta the passing lane. As someone who travels for work it's the worst. Being stuck behind a guy doing .5 mph faster than the next one for miles upon miles. What's was the point. If I roll up on someone goi g very close pull out speed up pass and back in slow lane. Or don't pass. Sorry rant over I hate them so much.