Back in 2017, Tesla Semi Truck was presented by the CEO of Tesla Elon Musk as an innovation in the transportation industry. Again sticking to the idea of a sustainable future, the company had an idea to create a semi-truck that would be eco-friendly and simultaneously outweigh the performance of usual combustion engine-based lorries in every possible way. For example, it was stated that the vehicle would be capable of accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in mere 20 seconds with a full load, which is claimed to be 37 tons! Though, 5 years passed before one of the first such lorries would be released on the market. Recently, tesla has presented ready trucks labeled with Pepsi-Cola logos.
Yet, the data regarding the credibility of Tesla’s previous claims was not provided. However, if they turn out to be true or at least 50% true, the product could revolutionize the transportation network. Although the cost that a company would have to bear in order to purchase one of these is unknown, the fact that the vehicle is electric most likely provides a possibility for an immense economy in terms of fuel expenses for logistics businesses, especially considering the ones like FedEx or UPS. Just to compare, the average fuel consumption of a semi-truck in 2022 as found by research at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions is around 30 to 40 liters of diesel. “According to the Spanish observatory of road freight transport costs report published in October 2019 by the Ministerio de Fomento, an articulated vehicle with a payload of 25,000 kg that travels around 120,000 km annually will have a fuel expenditure of more than 40,700 euros” (Bridgestone Mobility Solutions B.V., n.d.). Meaning that in just a year of the vehicle’s exploitation the costs for its fuel would come close if not overcome a third of the vehicle’s own monetary worth. That’s why an electric Semi Truck would shift the whole industry. The expenses connected to fuel would diminish by thousands of euros and the potential losses that would be connected to slower recharge times would be equalized by the fact the vehicle is moving simply faster. Even if the vehicle costs more in the beginning, considering the long-term perspective it would be cheaper for companies to use them.
Another important factor to look at is that the ownership of a such vehicle by a company would promote the company itself, and would also contribute positively to its Corporate Social responsibility. Moreover, the environmental impact would decrease with time. Sounds like a perfect solution to many problems at a time:
- The companies are interested in these semis because it is financially beneficial for them.
- The human race overall is interested in decreasing the negative influence we put on nature.
- The economies are interested in quicker and cheaper transportation.
Just by the provision of a single new product, a revolution in an industry might make a shift in the whole world’s operation. Nonetheless, as it often happens, the beautiful picture portrayed on the internet and on TV may not be so true. The fact stays that the majority of electricity that is produced in the world still comes from coal. In other words, if we would transfer to electric trucks the majority of energy used by them would still come from a source that destroys the climate. Moreover, another threat that electric trucks can bring to play is the massive batteries that have to be carried in order to overcome more than 800 km on a single charge. The way in which batteries are produced is not fully eco-friendly and the largest issue with them is recycling when their lifetime passes. There yet was not invented a sustainable way to do that.
In conclusion, the Tesla Semi Trucks seem like an innovative product that should set a new trend in the logistics sector. With time, it might stimulate other car manufacturers to develop an electric semi truck of their own, thus spurring the growth and competition in the space, that in turn could lead to a reduction in prices for such transport. Furthermore, with the global transition to renewable sources of energy, the vehicles would not only preserve millions of dollars for corporations but would also save millions of lives suffering from global warming.
Share your thoughts on Tesla Semis and its impact on the environment and the economy below! I will be happy to hear different ideas 😀
References:
Average and Median MPG For All Types of Pickup Trucks. (2022, August 22). GizmoDriver. Retrieved December 3, 2022, from https://gizmodriver.com/average-and-median-mpg-for-all-types-of-pickup-trucks/