Posted on 03/27/2018 5:52:30 AM PDT by nikos1121
MEMPHIS -- Before too long, FedEx drivers will be able to boast that they drive a Tesla.
Or at least the electric-car maker's big rigs.
FedEx has reserved 20 Tesla Semi trucks to test in its FedEx Freight fleet. The fully electric big rigs with advanced safety features are scheduled to begin production in 2019.
FedEx Freight CEO Mike Ducker disclosed the planned Tesla purchase during the Memphis-based company’s earnings call last week, and the company followed up with an announcement Monday.
“FedEx has a long history of innovation and incorporating sustainability efforts throughout its global network,” Ducker said. “Our investment in these trucks is part of our commitment to improving road safety while also reducing our environmental impact.”
The Tesla Semi division, launched by the electric vehicle automaker last November, is aiming to manufacture as many as 100,000 electric trucks a year, CEO Elon Musk told analysts in February.
(Excerpt) Read more at electrek.co ...
FedEx's decision only makes sense if there are subsidies involved.
>>“FedEx has a long history of innovation and incorporating sustainability efforts throughout its global network,”
How is sucking power from the grid “sustainable”?
I have read two articles that suggest truck drivers do not like the idea of sitting in the middle of the truck. As it stands now, the passenger side of the truck is cluttered with mirrors precisely because there is a lot of invisible area opposite the driver. Sitting in the middle of the truck creates this challenge on both sides of the truck. Drivers have also suggested that it reduces sight lines to the inside of roads around other trucks on two lane roads. The example I read is that when a driver wants to make room for a break down on the shoulder, they may not be able to see safely into oncoming traffic if they are following a UPS truck or another semi. Finally, accessibility in and out of the truck for security gates, LEO, weigh stations, etc. has been a concern for moving the driver to the middle.
The McLaren M1 seats three with the driver in the middle slightly ahead of the two passenger seats.
It had impressive technology for ‘93-’98 with a reported 240 MPH top speed.
Price in the US was <$1,000,000.
I believe the last reported sale was Rowan Atkinson’s M1 which he had a little accident in ($1,000,000+ in damage). After repairs it sold for $12,000,000.
And I felt bad about hitting a deer last month and causing $5,000 in damage to my Honda...
Twenty? For fedex that’s nothing. I’m sure Tesla does enough business to earn that. Tesla will be gone yhis time next year.
Ho Ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is coming..........oh it stopped with no power.
Yes, it is a drop in the bucket to FedEx’s fleet, but twenty is plenty to perform fleet testing to see if it is economically feasible.
Tesla’s niche is a daily round trip, which would fit in perfectly with FedEx’s model of a daily round trip from the airport to a distribution hub, and back to the airport.
One way, long haul is not what the Tesla truck was designed for.
Tesla sells solar/battery charging systems for every auto and truck they sell. Once they get the charging stations set up at most truckstops, the only problem will be other rigs using the charging station as a parking spot...
Most truckers I have known, say they can drive any truck that's ever been made, and if one truck is better than another, it's because they were driving it. They also like getting paid.
And where does the POWER to source those stations come from?
The same electricity providers who are giving us lights, air conditioning, refrigeration, etc?
It isn’t a bottomless well.
“Sustainable” my rump.
Yep. One has to have some type of fuel to produce electric power.
20 trucks is literally nothing. less than a drop in the bucket.
Safety wasn't the 'driving' factor in the middle seat placement. It was economy. No need to create both LEFT and RIGHT side driver placements for US vs. FOREIGN vehicles.
I think this was revealed earlier.
I remember writing that if you are in the trucking business it is mandatory to test the technology to incur cutting edge competitiveness
Tesla lands the order. The question is when will those trucks land at the buyers doorstep???
Has anyone else read the articles on how just 10% saturation of electric vehicles would require charging stations to have an electrical grid of a small town? Add semi’s to that....
An engineering study showed our power grid will collapse under the loads of a significant percentage (like even 10%) of vehicles go EV - a truth the EV industry hides very well........
Tesla(the company) is such as financial mess. Watch for it in the news, it’s not far off.
Musk has said the the Megacharger truck stations would use solar cells just like the Supercharger car stations do.
I see a SAFETY Lawsuit coming. Someone’s going to ask if you did any Human Factors Studies on placement of the driver seat.
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