I don't know of methane would, on average, produce less CO2 if used
directly in long haul trucking versus using the grid to charge
batteries.
But, the biggest savings would come from reducing rolling resistance,
regardless of type of energy used. The best way, from a physics point of
view, would be to use steel rails.
We have plenty of railroad systems throughout the US but they are not
fully used for transporting freight. Presumably this is because there is
too much overhead to build trains out of containers, get them to a major
center, and then break them apart and into short haul trucking. I have a
crazy idea on how to improve that. Could it be made to work ?
Imagine if semis - both tractor and trailer - were fitted with railroad
compatible wheels, which could be lowered easily to engage with rails
and equally easily raised when not needed. Also imagine new sidings
added to the railroad systems where truckers could position their rigs,
lower the wheels, and a guideway or mechanism would automatically align
them on the rails.
The process would be for a local haul driver to go to one of these
sidings, press a button to drop the wheels, and exit the cab and leave.
The rest would be computer controlled. The rig would leave the siding
and, wait for a group of semis to come along. When that happens, the
group would stop, the new rig would join the tail of the group (but not
hitched in any way) and the group would take off again. When the rig
reaches its destination, the opposite would happen. A new local driver
would take the rig to its final route.
Part of the idea, here, is to reduce rolling resistance. The second part
is to travel in "trains" so that the wind resistance is also reduced.
This idea is riddled with logistics problems and also liability issues.
Is it worth thinking about ? Can clever people figure out a way to make
it work ?
Oh, and I'm assuming these would be EV tractors. Clearly, on steel
rails, the battery size would be greatly reduced.
Peri
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------ Original Message ------
From: "Lawrence Winiarski via EV" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
To: "ev@lists.evdl.org" <ev@lists.evdl.org>
Cc: "Lawrence Winiarski" <lawrence_winiar...@yahoo.com>
Sent: 25-Nov-22 03:41:50
Subject: Re: [EVDL] the grid needs upgrading - fast
I know this will sound like sacrilege on EVDL, but does it really make sense to
have battery powered Semitrailer trucks? Isn't it kind of carryingthings a
little too far?
On a practical note, a lot of electricity is met on the grid with natural gas
generators for demand as they can be spun up and down fairly easily toaccount
for variable production and demand.
Wouldn't it make more sense to just power the truck itself on Natural Gas and
skip the power lines/grid/demand/chargestations...etc....
It would also save on 10-20,000 lbs of batteries. not require big investments, much
faster "recharge", and believe it or not, diesels can bet easily
retrofitted to use Natural Gas. (They just aspirate the air intake with nat gas and
still use a small amount of diesel for the "spark". It'sbeen done in other
countries, but for some reason it's just ignored here in the US.
I was very interested in Natural Gas powered vehicles at one time. Largely
ignored in the US.
There are a lot of good reasons (environmentally and economical) to consider
them.
On Thursday, November 24, 2022, 2:48:27 PM PST, Matthew Pitts via EV
<ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote:
So you foresee a time in the US where the railroads handle the bulk of the
cross-country shipping like they used to? Because that's pretty much the
only way I can see EV semi trucks not being used for over the road
operation. And if full day rate charging is cheaper than the cost of a tank
of fuel (currently $5+ per Imperial Gallon in the US), I suspect most any
shipping company would be fine with it.
Matthew Pitts
Get BlueMail <https://bluemail.me> for Desktop
Bill Dube via EV wrote:
Fast charging during the day will be expensive for trucks and thus be
unpopular.
The fast charger operator will take a cut, and the grid operator will
charge peak rates for electricity.
Passenger EV's don't typically use fast chargers, they charge at more
reasonable speeds and rates at home. You want to take a trip, then you are
willing to pay extra to fast charge on the road. Fast charging is like
eating in a restaurant. Most folks see it as a waste of money on a daily
basis and eat at home for far less money.
Economics will shape the industry and will determine how and when trucks
will charge. Unlike passenger cars, trucks are very price sensitive and
will opt for the least expensive option. The available surplus grid
capacity will set the price of electricity, and the trucking industry will
find the most economical electricity price.
EV trucks will seldom be recharged on route at high electricity costs with
the driver being paid to wait. It is not economic as the trucking company
will lose money and it simply will not be done. (Or be done rarely.) EV
trucks will no doubt be used for runs that are within their battery range.
Bill D.
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