Let me start with acknowledging no one on this planet can change the first two two things I learned when I began working with trucks – time and space. No one can make time run faster or slower and no one can shorten the distance between New York and Los Angeles, more on this later. I just read an article regarding another attempt to push the big lie that electric semi-trucks are inevitable within years. The article says the White House will establish a zero-emission standard for 30% of all medium and heavy-duty trucks sold to be electric by 2030. Wow, the stupidity in this White House never seems to be in short supply. If we could make the person(s) who came up with such a proclamation run on zero-emissions we would all be better off for sure.
Let’s just say for argument sake that this lunacy was accomplished by the year 2030 – what would that look like? A semi-truck, trailer, and cargo can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. On an electric truck its battery can take up to a fourth of that weight. An electric long-haul truck in 2030 could be up to 5,328 pounds heavier than a regular diesel truck. Well, that just reduced the cargo carrying capacity of that truck significantly. How is that left over 5,328 pounds not hauled on the first truck going to get to its destination with the rest of the freight? Bingo! – another truck will take it.
There is over 58.6 million tons of freight moved by truck everyday. As an example, if 20% of that tonnage are 80,000 pound truckloads, that would equal 293,000 trucks per day at maximum weight. By reducing carrying capacity on those loads by 5328 pounds per truck an additional 19,514 truckloads per day (probably more) would be created. Where is that capacity going to come from? Most of these over-flow loads will be moved on diesel trucks negating any zero-emission gain if not increasing over-all emissions, costs, and traffic congestion. Does any of this sound like a good idea??? To those making proclamations in the White House, Jenny has a question for you – “Are you stupid or something?”
To make this fairy tale work you will have to violate the first two things I first learned in trucking – time and space. EV trucking will be slower no doubt until technology and infrastructure catchup. In order for this EV blunder to work you will have to either make time slow down for truckloads to catch up or space to get shorter to let trucks travel less miles to avoid negating factors.
That is just the start of it. What about these other considerations:
- The increased cost of the vehicle
- The pollution causing materials used to make the batteries
- The power infra-structure needed to charge the trucks
- The power needed from the power grid to supply the electricity needed
- The additional charging time will reduce truck efficiency resulting in even more trucks being needed to make up for the loss in productivity
- More reliance on China to produce these batteries
- More trucks hauling the newly created over-flow loads creates more congestion and more wear and tear on roads
- What about the cost of replacing dead batteries and the resale loss of a truck close to the end of battery life
- What about the expired batteries? Those batteries will end up in some landfill creating even more outcry from the never-ending whining environmental loonies who created this problem in the first place. More whining, more mandates, seems to be a cyclical cottage industry with these folks.
The Big Lie – to even start a project with such an absolutely unattainable goal – there will be tax-payer money spent to hire people, infrastructure built, and piles of bullsh*t rants for something that was never possible in the first place. It will reward politicians and their nutty climate followers with some feel good jollies and taxpayer dollars diverted to their pockets. It accomplished nothing but destruction and made everything worse for it.
Maybe as technology progresses EV’s might become more viable, but not in 5-6 years. Reality is where our leaders need to live. It appears that some of our current leaders need to be evicted and replaced by realists. The November elections are coming quickly and so is our chance to change the future. Start at the top and work your way down. Failure is not an option. What do you think?
Great article with valid points.