Current Events In Electric Trucking
October 26th was supposed to be the day the world of short haul trucking got electrified. But that was before Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Irma and Tesla's entry level electric car (Model 3) experienced production delays. On October 6 th, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors & SpaceX, tweeted, "Tesla Semi unveil now Nov 16. Diverting resources to fix Model 3 bottlenecks & increase battery production for Puerto Rico & other affected areas. "
A wave of disappointment flowed through the trucking industry as insiders eagerly wait out the three week delay until mid-November, causing stocks to short circuit
by nearly 40 points since their high of $385 in September.
While Tesla has been tight-lipped about the finer details of their semi a few details have emerged. Speculation has been that the truck will have a 200-300 mile range, partial autopilot, and a day cab with no sleeper birth. Musk has claimed that the Tesla Semi is a "beast" and has exceeded all specs that have been reported so far.
Then there were the leaks. In the past few weeks reddit
users have posted an image purported to be a prototype of the vehicle as well as this video
on YouTube.
The electric trucking space is about to get a bit more crowded as several of Tesla's competitors charge up their own fleets. In August, Cummins beat Tesla to the power outlet
, unveiling their own heavy duty electric truck. The class 7 heavy-duty hauler comes packed with a 140 kWh battery pack that charges in less than an hour and can pull a 22-ton trailer 100-miles. Cummins plans to start taking orders on the 18,000 tractor cab dubbed the AEOS in 2019.
Can a 98-year old traditional trucking company compete in design and production with one who's only focus has been plugged in to battery/renewable energy?
Then there is Steve Oliver, General Manager of Corporate Sales at BMW (UK), who sees diesel fuel as key part of his company's future. What's old is new again as Oliver told delegates at AFCO's autumn seminar that BMW was "committed to driving the development of diesel technology further" and "Diesel is not just a fuel today, it is a fuel of the future. It has longevity."
Whatever the future holds, fuel efficiency, greener deliveries and supply chains will no doubt be the result. Will lower emissions lead to lower rates and more predictable delivery windows ? On November 16 th we'll take another step towards finding out.
Want to learn more about improving the efficency of your less than truckload (LTL) and full truckload (FTL) deliveries? Reach out to Aborn & Co. today for a free consultation.









