Is the next release a bus ?
Doubt it. Busses are most often used by local governments than by businesses, and most cities are less likely to spend that much money on a more expensive form of transportation.
Tesla Semi
471–480 of 575 posts
Re: Tesla Semi
#472Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, for not checking Wikipedia. Because I work in the industry as an electrical engineer defining standards, and owning a historic truck myself just for fun, because I can. Originally, it is right that retarders were introduced to just having a non-destructive brake by just wasting the energy. That was around the 1980s. This was just to save maintenance cost as brakes were a big part of that costs. The trucking in…
What fraction of the energy recovered by braking is actually stored? I would have thought the battery on a non-electric or non-hybrid truck would be far too small. Surely the battery gets topped off and then the extra power is dumped as heat right? Is the energy from braking really so small that it can't even fully charge the starter battery? Honest questions. I figured that since regenerative braking in cars seems t…
There will always be situations where you can no longer recover energy, fully electric or hybrid. Your battery could be full, or overheating. At that point, you have to waste the energy.
I believe the normal way to handle this scenario is to just fall back to mechanical braking.
Re: Tesla Semi
#473Earlier quoted context omitted.
>think things through pretty comprehensively from all angles and plan effectively for what's needed. Is that why model 3 production is going so well?
Pretty sure Model 3 production is going amazingly well, yeah. Astoundingly well. But the media's portrayal of it has people convinced otherwise. Let's try this perspective instead: "Decade-old electric car company moves up plan for mass production of new affordable long-range sedan by 2 years" And then ask ourselves, after moving it up by 2 years, does a 3-month delay mean "things are going badly"? If I say I'm going…
If I owe you $500, and I give you $450, does that mean I paid back the loan?
The consequence of not living up to an expectation depends on what's riding on that expectation. For a company trying to live up to a valuation higher than companies producing orders of magnitude more vehicles, I think it matters.
Re: Tesla Semi
#474:/ The centre driving location, not sure if that is a terrible idea for pedestrian and bicycle safety. Or the opposite as closer to the other side. Guess time will tell if a lot gets squashed against fences like bikers often do in London.
Cyclists are on the opposite side of the driver in traditional seating, I would think this makes it safer for cyclists.
Re: Tesla Semi
#475Earlier quoted context omitted.
How effective is regenerative breaking?
Oddly good. My commute is ~25 miles one way. In my Leaf, going 65+ mph, I usually burn 25-35 miles off the charge. If I'm in stop-and-go traffic half the way I usually burn 10-15 miles for the same trip. I've taken quite a few trips where I arrived at my destination with the same amount of battery as when I left. I've yet to arrive with more charge but maybe one day...
That’s probably due more to the aerodynamic drag of doing >65mph than it is the regen braking in stop-and-go traffic. Mileage efficiency takes a big drop in our Leaf above 60mph.
EDIT: as a side note, efficiency takes a big drop in your ICE vehicle, too, I just notice it more in the Leaf with its gee-whiz telemetry.
Re: Tesla Semi
#476Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always wondered about this. Do they have their own fuel tank and engine to run the compressor for refrigeration?
Yes. And they have electrical hook up point for times when they are stationary. If you think it through, the time a refridgerated container spends actually connected to the truck is not all that big. It will spend more time in a port or on a ship, or even stationary at the departure point or destination. All of the reefers I've seen have electrical hookups to power them when on ship/land and they have their own diese…
Could that eventual hvac trailer take regen power from the semi, given the extra weight.
It might be the case where battery in trailer makes sense.
Re: Tesla Semi
#477Ok as a mechanic a few million questions: * What happens when a wheel seal goes? Do I have to remove all that ridiculous plastic on #2,3 axels?? * What happens when a tire blows? Is it going to destroy all that plastic and take out a few more tires in the process? * Why all the glass? I've spend entire days replacing windshields for a 12 or so truck shop which generally come in two (drivers and passengers), the Tesla…
"Well, it's a fraction of the cost to operate, but if a tire blows, the mechanic will have to detach a piece of plastic. So I think we'll pass."
Don’t worry, when the tire blows it’ll take that fiddly piece of plastic with it. Which I think is at least part of parent’s point.
Re: Tesla Semi
#478Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Well, it's a fraction of the cost to operate, but if a tire blows, the mechanic will have to detach a piece of plastic. So I think we'll pass."
Why do you say it is a fraction of the cost to operate? Because the advert says so? I'll wait for concerns like the parent's to be weighed in before reaching any conclusion.
Combustion engines need lots and lots and lots of little extra bits to hit the (still very bad) efficiency numbers they have. Every extra moving part is another thing you're paying the mechanic to check, repair or replace. Good for the mechanic, bad for your trucking operation.
Electric motors are brutally simple. So first that means they break down less often, second it means they're less complicated for the mechanic to figure out what the problem is.
And that's before the straight to technical advantages. Take braking. In a normal truck you turn speed into heat by rubbing brake pads. This gradually destroys the pads, so they're a consumable. But an electric truck turns much of the speed back into electricity instead. The pads get much less wear, you replace them less often.
Re: Tesla Semi
#479Earlier quoted context omitted.
You should probably watch the actual reveal, it's already on YouTube. The glass was already addressed and he gave it a specific focus. Even claiming it can withstand an atomic blast.
A few other people have also referenced the "reveal". Does anyone know what is meant by this, and have a link ?
Re: Tesla Semi
#480Earlier quoted context omitted.
I believe the main reason for why European trucks look soi different is regulations. European trucks have a length limit that covers the tractor as well as the trailer. Because you want to maximize the cargo space, the tractor is made as short as possible and gets this very un-aerodynamic shape. The truck in essence gets the shape that best fills in all permitted space. In addition they don't have plows or similar th…
Huh, how do American trucks look?
The engine sticks out in front the driver cabin. They also don't have barriers on the side that keep passage cars from getting under and being hit at head height