FWIW. Others think as you do that such a system would improve trains over diesel engines.
But it does not change the fact that in America trucking does the lion’s share of freight transport and the factors that make that so would not change with the the electrification of rail transport.
Reading through that, I was thinking: we know EVs are heavy, and it would cost basically nothing to give them a small exemption to the weight limit in order to encourage their use.
So I searched around, and what do you know, I found this:
Natural Gas Vehicle (NGV) and Plug-In Electric Vehicle (PEV) Weight Exemption
NGVs and PEVs may exceed the federal maximum gross vehicle weight limit for comparable conventional fuel vehicles by up to 2,000 pounds (lbs.). The NGV or PEV must not exceed a maximum gross vehicle weight of 82,000 lbs. (Reference Public Law 116-6 and 23 U.S. Code 127(s))
So there you go. The weight limit is actually 82,000 lbs for EVs, which means the tractor can weigh 22k lbs with a 15k trailer and 45k load. That makes for a much less extreme lightweighting effort.
I do have a problem with that though. That’s fine for encouraging adoption, but the weight limit is there for a reason, yes? If not then why not allow it for diesel trucks too? Long term I don’t think it needs the cheat and do not think that long term it should have it.
Diesel trucks spend their entire existence spewing poison into the atmosphere and hastening the demise of civilization. I think a barely noticeable increase in road wear compensates for reducing this. Not to mention other positive factors like noise reduction.
My position has always been that polluters should pay their share of externalities, and then let the market shake it out. But it’s obvious that will never happen. People won’t accept the massive increase in costs that would entail. So instead we have to shift public policy forward with subsidies and exemptions. It sucks but the alternative is politically unfeasible (especially in the US, but really everywhere).
Not only is that a good point but the answer to “is there for a reason, yes?” may be “maybe no, not really.”
The ironic thing is that higher weights are allowed by states on many rural roads, that can’t handle it, but not on the interstates, that can.
I had to assume that a nice round number like 80,000 was at least a little arbitrary. It doesn’t seem likely that a bridge will collapse because an 80,001 lb truck went over it.
Giving EVs a weight allowance bonus sounds like a nice lever. Maybe the lightweighting efforts will be even more successful than the estimates. If so, then trucks like the Tesla Semi will be even more favored. The trucking industry may grumble but it’s probably easier to convince them with a carrot than a stick.
And in any case, it’s already established law. I’m sure Tesla and others are taking it into account for their modeling.
Are you choosing your hotel specifically because it has a charger(s)? Most of the places I stay I don’t see chargers in the parking lots. I almost never get into a hotel on Fri night before 10pm; I know I’m not getting the first spot by the front door, instead I expect to be one of the last cars in the lot. I’d be concerned that there wouldn’t be an available overnight charger when I arrived. Even if they had level 3 chargers, I’d be concerned that the guy before me was either a jerk & didn’t think he needed to move his car that night or accidentally fell asleep while watching TV on the bed & therefore there’s no place for me to charge.
The suggestion to let a 300-mile range EV get down to 5-10% is only 15-30 miles, beyond where the idiot lite comes on to remind you you need fuel is scary. While I might let it get that low when I’m in my neighborhood running errands, where I know where the (inexpensive) gas stations are there’s no way I’d do that in some unknown-to-me place. In rural areas, you might not find another fuel stop in time; can’t even call for service when there’s no cell service. Yes, I drive thru those areas.
I only rent at the airport if I flew somewhere. Rentals from home are done at the rental office a couple of miles away from home. I’ve never been more than third in line & typically either taken right away or next up after the current customer is finished. I say, “No” for the optional coverages (< 30seconds) & walk around the car & make sure they note anything & take a few pictures before I leave the lot. Yes, you are right in that it can be expensive, especially over a holiday weekend.
Arguments you missed are they are inherently less safe, not because there’s anything wrong with the car but because you’re unfamiliar with it & driving a long distance. (ever been driving after a thunderstorm; your wipers are off but a truck coming the other way hits a pothole, sending a wall of water over the center barrier? My hand is reaching for the wiper blade in my car before it hits because I know I’m going to be totally blind in about ½ a second. Wiper controls not always on the same side of the wheel or turn/push the same direction as I’m used to in my car; grabbing the wrong thing & putting on the cruise or turn signal does me no good in that situation. Or you have to work your way three levels deep in an unfamiliar infotainment system after you’re already on the highway with nowhere to pull over to change some setting.
Some years ago - at the time I owned a compact car; we’re doing a trip with a Ford Excursion (their big SUV) pulling a trailer; only the second time in my life I had pulled a trailer. At some point in the night we pull to the side of the road to swap drivers, I get in, adjust the seat & mirrors & take off. In less than a mile I was in a construction zone on the interstate; a few miles later my ass is on fire. Co says I must have turned on the seat warmer when I adjusted the seat. All controls are down low, on the left side of the seat & I’m driving a large vehicle that I’m not familiar with, with a trailer, thru two narrow lanes, no shoulder, jersey barriers on either side of me & just enough traffic that I can’t take my half out of the middle. Ain’t no way I’m taking my hand off the wheel & attempting to flip some switch that might mess up my seating position there. Had to wait 15-20 mins until we got out of the construction zone until I felt comfortable enough to reach down & turn it off.
Speaking of infotainment systems in rental cars, that can potentially open you up to idenity fraud even if you only plug in to charge.
The OP is not asking about today but about a hypothetical future time in which EVs dominated at least no new ICE vehicles are being sold.
I am quite confident that once a large fraction of potential customers start only choosing a hotel with charging many more hotels will offer charging. For a charge. Demand allow me to introduce you to supply. Nice to meet you.
If the range is 400-500 miles, then it ceases to be so much of an issue. But at today’s 250-ish range at highway speeds, the stations are just far enough apart to constrain your routes pretty severely and limit you to the interstates on long road trips. And we’re assuming that @PastTense’s issue of supercharger availability is not in play.
I still think that swappable batteries or really fast charging is where we’ll end up.
Reasons why swapping batteries is unlikely to be the way we’ll go:
virtually no two cars have the same battery. Maybe a few made by the same manufacturer, but not even all those.
The cars have to be designed to allow easy swapping. Except for one Chinese company, this isn’t happening.
Even with that design, it’s likely that swapping batteries will be more error-prone than pumping gasoline or plugging in a charging cable.
As far as really fast charging, maybe. But probably never as fast as pumping a tank of gasoline. More likely there’ll be a change in the expectations by travellers of how often and how long breaks will happen on long trips.
I’d rather wait an extra 40 minutes to charge once or twice a year than have someone else’s batteries in my car.
And if the batteries are integrated into the body of the car (essentially eliminating the excess weight of the battery pack), swapping becomes an absolute yeah, not happening.
What if the battery was like those propane tanks that you swap out at the supermarket or hardware store? You don’t care which propane tank you get; they’re all filled with the same amount of propane.
Maybe. But it feels different, at least with current technology.
Doesn’t work that way with batteries. Batteries degrade with use, so new ones will take the full 100% charge, while those several years old may only take 95% charge or some other number.
That’s the way Tesla is going. I think they made the original Model S to allow swapping, but future models will do that integration.
What if there were an entire paradigm shift. Nobody “owns” their car and all cars are identical. You pay a licensing fee for use and swap the entire car for a fully charged car.
You mean leasing? There are very good reasons most of us don’t do that.
There’s nothing inherent in electric vehicles that makes leasing more attractive.
More likely you would have a monthly “battery subscription fee” which entitles you to free swaps and charging at company facilities. Call it the “Road Tripper Package” or “Battery Freedom.” Car companies would love regular recurring fees like that, since it’s basically a lease, just for part of the car. The cost would not be to the consumer’s benefit of course, and they won’t get a 100% fresh battery pack each time (it would need to be guaranteed above some percentage level, like 90-95% or so), but for the cost they also aren’t locked in to the battery pack the car came with for its whole lifetime. There’s something to be said for that, but the logistics are difficult, and it’s a strategy that can be rendered irrelevant by improved battery or other charging technology.
Sure, battery swaps are probably not going to happen. Probably the biggest reason is that it might require different manufacturers to support the same battery packs, to allow for economies of scale and avoid inventory issues. And that hasn’t happened even among the notebook computer manufacturers. But it’s an idea.