Are electric trucks the way of the future?
By: Hemanth Ramesh November, 15, 2019
According to the Emissions Database published by Boston University, trucks are one of the most significant sources of carbon emissions. 60% of the emissions in the U.S. come from 250 million passenger cars, SUVs and pickup trucks. According to data from the Environment Protection Agency, freight trucks contribute about 23% of the emissions in the U.S.
Transportation was also found to be one of the top sources of carbon emissions in the U.S., having surpassed electricity in 2017. With Tesla launching their two new fully-electric Semi Trucks and also planning to present the proposed “Cyber Truck,” will electric trucks be the way of the future?
Tesla also claims that electricity produced at their Megachargers will be entirely solar-powered, thus lowering indirect car emissions by a significant level.
According to stats released by the company, the Tesla Semi is much more reliable and safer than a standard truck. Some of the safety features on a Tesla truck include:-
- Enhanced autopilot as standard
- Automatic emergency braking
- Automatic Lane Keeping
- Forward Collision Warning
- The truck will call emergency services
- Low center of gravity
- Low rollover risk
- The truck will automatically stop jackknifing
- Guarantee that the truck will not breakdown for a million miles
- Zero emissions
- Armored windshield (Truck windshields crack every year)
- Remote Diagnostics from a mobile app
Moreover, the company says that a Tesla Semi driver will practically never have to deal with Jackknifing. Theoretically, these safety features should result in lower insurance rates. But, given the high cost of Tesla parts, insurance companies have traditionally shied away from lowering the insurance costs of Tesla products. This was mainly the reason why Tesla started offering insurance services for its customers. According to Tesla, they will be able to provide their customer car insurance at a 30% lower premium than what private companies currently offer.
It remains to be seen if Tesla offers its insurance for the Semi and Cyber Trucks as well. On the economic front as well, the company claims that the Semi will be much cheaper to operate than a standard truck. A Tesla Semi will $1.26 per mile to operate, while a standard diesel truck would cost around $1.51 per mile to operate according to the company.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hemanth Ramesh
Hemanth Ramesh works as a writer for Gavop. He has previously written content for film promotions, start-ups, advertising agencies and event management firms. Hemanth Ramesh completed his MA in Journalism and Mass Communication from The English and Foreign Languages University. His other passion includes script writing.
