Drivers on California's treacherous Donner Pass recently have seen the battery-electric Tesla Semi just about blowing the doors off of diesels as the tri-motor tractor quietly, smoothly glides up the 7%-16% grades.
Does it amount to a first look at a coming electric-truck revolution, or just some sideshow to be ignored by trucking's owner-operators?
In partnership with sister fleet publication CCJ, Overdrive recently surveyed nearly 300 owner-operators and small fleets (and a slightly smaller number of fleet personnel at carriers with 10 or more trucks) on their attitudes and plans toward new "zero emissions" trucks. Frankly, results echo some of the more annoyed and frustrated responses from earlier surveys and comments on the Tesla Semi video from Donner Pass.
One comment encapsulated owner-ops' attitude succinctly: "I'd be willing to bet $10,000 that coast-to-coast a diesel truck arrives at least 10 hours earlier than any Tesla or battery-EV semi. Anyone want to take that bet?"
[Related: Surprising ways owner-ops and small fleets might make EVs work: A realistic outlook]
The commenter ignores egos the Semi might have bruised with its left-lane tactics and goes straight for the jugular: The Semi accelerates fast, but so what? How long does it spend charging to make that hill? How far can it roll loaded? Operationally, how will this truck make any owner-op any more money than, say, a 2011 Freightliner Cascadia?
Tesla hasn't satisfactorily explained any of that yet. Despite high-profile press from PepsiCo and comedian/car enthusiast Jay Leno, and participation in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's Run on Less program, the actual details of the Semi, including its weight and potential payloads, remain hidden.
