Yesterday, November 27, Elon Musk officially announced on his social networks that the Tesla Semi electric truck completed its first trip in real conditions, having traveled 800 kilometers on a single battery charge. This is certainly a real breakthrough for the electric truck market, since previously, even without loading, vehicles of competing companies drove at most 500-600 kilometers. But at Tesla Semi, it was possible to achieve a result of 800 kilometers not in an “empty” version, but with a full load of the cargo compartment – the vehicle covered such an impressive distance with a cargo weight of 36 tons.
And while it may seem to many that this is not surprising, in fact, the mark of 800 kilometers on a single charge for large cargo vehicles is a very important achievement in the United States. The fact is that drivers on Class 8 trucks making mainline cargo transportation are allowed to drive for 11 hours, after which they are required to stop for a long rest. This is established at the legislative level – special devices are installed in trucks that detect the driver’s work time and special regulatory services punish very severely for violation of this law (up to the deprivation of a license for commercial transportation).
At the same time, in most states of America, freight transport on highways and highways can move at a speed of 60-75 miles / hour, that is, approximately 95-120 km / h. Accordingly, a Tesla electric truck with a fully loaded trailer will allow one charge to drive (taking into account the necessary stops, lower speeds in the city and the time to load or unload cargo) just 10-11 hours, after which the driver must stop and rest until next trip. During this rest, the truck will calmly have time to charge, so that later it will drive the same amount without limiting the driver and without losing to the ICE options.
At the same time, experts note that Tesla Semi, due to the peculiarities of the electric power plant, has a much lower cost of operation per kilometer on the road than diesel counterparts, which now occupy the lion’s share of cargo transportation in the United States. Moreover, the electric car is environmentally friendly, it has a very low center of gravity due to the batteries, which improves the vehicle’s handling, and the cost of driving a Tesla Semi will be lower due to fuel prices compared to electricity prices. Most likely, in December, Elon Musk will completely change the freight market, as it once was with electric cars.
Source: Trash Box
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
