Thanks for those links.
Inside the articles pretty much contains what I was thinking. No one wants to be 'first-mover'. They do not care about a flashy unveil, they want DATA. Hard numbers after months in real world operation. This is where the unveil of the semi, fell apart for me. Not enough hard data. Hence it is the really huge companies investing, (extremely minor in proportion to fleet size) to see if the numbers work, by working a few rigs.
This in my opinion is also why Walmart bought Ten for Canada, and 5 for the States. Winter. What is the range? Anyone who currently drives an electric notes there is a big difference between summer and winter range, even when the temperature is hovering around zero and not minus 20. For those around these parts long enough know Tesla has a history of not winter testing properly...the model S when it came out would not even defrost the windshield properly. Looking a the rig, I wonder how the front end will manage snow, as it seems so low?
Anyhow what they really need is a Tesla Semi Reveal Part 2. Entitled..
Data from 365 days of driving a diesel rig, vs a Tesla rig.
Have the rigs drive same route, same day, same loads, separated by enough distance there can be no drafting, but not enough for weather to change anything. Would cost probably hundreds of thousands for the experiment, (one diesel rig can cost over 150 000 per year to run, and buying it could cost that as well) but literally could result in hundreds of millions in sales/income.
While the windshield might, probably not withstand a nuclear attack, the north’s top generals could watch from the comfy front seat as the incoming rounds leveled every thing. The other side of my sad humor is that by draining the bank to purchase the trucks they would not have all the money to keep pushing their missile program. A peaceful solution using business model diplomacy bringing about peace in the region.
