WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
125 milliseconds from the decision point.
Need to make sure the guy behind is also driving a Tesla !!
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125 milliseconds from the decision point.
Need to make sure the guy behind is also driving a Tesla !!
Because you are unpredictable. You jump in front of a truck right before an offramp or split. Are you going to suddenly hit your brakes because you are confused? Nobody allows trucks to have a safe following distance. You will pull in from them right into their 'kill zone'.
You will never know how bad/stupid/thoughtless today's drivers really are until you drive a truck or tow a trailer. You only get a 1% dose when you drive a car. 50% dose when you're on 2 wheels, 75% when towing private, and the Full Monty when driving a semi.
For starter, fuel efficiency will be better. For example, 2018 Cascadia will be ~8% better than 2016 Cascaia Evolution, and the current Evolution is already at > 10 mpg.
Then there are the autonomy and platooning capabilities.
Driving autonomously through Nevada | Daimler | Daimler
Nice bedroom + lounge. in Cascadia 2018!
Is platooning running nose to tail with other trucks?
Here's a professional's quick take (apologies if it's already been posted):To those who have never driven or even been in the cab of a truck before. How can you judge those that drive truck for a living?
To me driving a class 8 truck in heavy traffic is akin to being an adult surrounded by a group of six year old kids. You have individuals darting in and out, some running ahead, others walking with you, yet others blocking your way and some trying to trip you. Sometimes they are calm and behave pretty well, sometimes they are tired, a bit irritated and try to get on your nerves, sometimes they are excited and in a hurry. Moving the same speed as a majority of the kids is allot easier than moving slower, I know, I've done it.
Some days I enjoy it, relax and go with the flow, other days it can be a bit irritating, occasionally it can be downright irritating. The experience has never been scary for me although I have had concern for some four wheelers as usually they lose in the event of a collision with a much larger vehicle.
Telling me (someone who's spent allot of time in trucks as well as four wheeled vehicles and motorbikes in all traffic conditions through all sorts of environmental conditions) how fast trucks should travel in relation to other traffic is like me telling a woman how to breastfeed a baby. You really don't have a clue.
I actually enjoy driving, I believe I'm a good driver, I'm courteous, I respect others on the road and I expect respect from them. I can sense nervous drivers for the most part I believe and try to give them space as they require. I never use the horn unless absolutely necessary. For maneuvers such as lane changes some days I need to be a little more assertive, I usually touch my brakes to give drivers a heads up I'm working on slowing down, usually it's five flashes of the signal lights and I'll start moving over, I won't push someone out of the way but my intentions will be clear, they are free to accelerate, decelerate or move over as they see fit, it doesn't bother me. This is me, I'm sure most others that drive truck are similar but I can't speak for everyone of course.
A truck that assists in enhancing my driving by constantly monitoring lane position, fore and aft traffic flow and positioning, obstacles, maintain speed, etc. can only make the experience better but we are still only human.
@jr4488, if Tesla were able to offer independent drivers like yourself a truck that does what it said at the reveal — safest truck on the road, saves $0.25/mile TCO, offers a charging network as advertised on the routes they drive (500 mile battery/400 miles with a 30 minute recharge), and less maintenance — do you think independent drivers would go for it? Assume they build a sleeper cab version with comparable specs.
Give you an award for being an early adopter?Trucking is very political, very regulated and has a violent history of resisting change. If I show up at shipper with a truck that operates at $.25 less a mile and has self driving features, what do you think the other guys are going to do?
Here's a professional's quick take (apologies if it's already been posted):
This ex-trucker has some questions about the Tesla Semi
Robin
Yes, with very substantial gains achieved at gaps narrow enough to only be safely done with autopilot and maybe vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
I currently run a dedicated route between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Two round trips a week. It’s 640 miles each way. Plus, Tesla just opened a supercharger “truckstop” in Baker, California that would work perfectly for me. I usually buy a new tractor every five years for about $130,000 and I spend about $70,000 a year on fuel and about $15,000 a year on maintaiance when the warrantee runs out at 500,000 miles. I currently have a 2013 Cascadia. I’ll be ready to go next year!
However, years ago, I had an EV1 Genll car. It was the best car I ever had. Various special interest groups ganged-up on us EV1 drivers and crushed all of our cars. I’m not making this up. Google it and see.
Trucking is very political, very regulated and has a violent history of resisting change. If I show up at shipper with a truck that operates at $.25 less a mile and has self driving features, what do you think the other guys are going to do?
Jack
I watched a documentary "Who Killed The Electric Car", it was an interesting watch.
I don't think safety would an issue.
Here's a professional's quick take (apologies if it's already been posted):
This ex-trucker has some questions about the Tesla Semi
I was thinking if the Nikola1 truck was a success we could start to see many hydrogen powered Perterbilt like trucks on the road. I could be wrong but if the hydrogen platform is what they are making it out to be I think it'll be the next evolution in truck and industrial equipment energy.
The model 3 shows the rapid improvement in EV technology and price. I think for semi and smaller that hydrogen is dead. But hydrogen might be an answer for ships and possibly trains, if liquidfied biofuel doesn't work out.
Elon has no truck experience whatsoever, he knows that and admits it. His unveiling was the same as when Ford introduced their redesigned Louisville back in 1997, it was a bunch of car salespeople trying to sell a truck, it was a pretty sad day. To be honest I'm not sure if he's really taking it seriously.
Air ride cabs does some to smooth out ride of a truck, actually the stiffness of the frame would have the same effect. The frame and rear suspension causes a bucking sensation if not designed right and that is mostly absorbed by the rear cab suspension. It's possible the Tesla truck is stiff enough and has the rear suspension tuned to prevent this. Also the truck is so heavy and balanced running empty will be smooth also.
Why would a truck driver have to slow down for me if I am driving 65 mph speed limit in the right lane and he is driving 55 mph speed limit in the right lane?
But let's get this back on topic. Tesla has been the leader in vehicular safety and I don't see why that will change with the Semi. Jack has made a lot of assumptions in the OP. I suggest he contact Tesla and address his concerns with them. The Tesla Semi will definitely be safer than any truck on the highway now with radar, sonar, EAB, EAP, several cameras, faster acceleration, less brake wear, better visibility, safety glass, etc.
Truck drivers can be part of the revolution for a cleaner and safer way to deliver goods and services. It is going to happen, it is inevitable. Better to get in at the beginning rather than trying to catch up later, like the legacy automakers are trying to do right now.
Not to mention that major advances that the Tesla Semi will be with regard to the problem of jack-knifing. This alone will be a huge safety gain which will be enabled by computer control over the 4 wheel motors.
I was thinking if the Nikola1 truck was a success we could start to see many hydrogen powered Perterbilt like trucks on the road. I could be wrong but if the hydrogen platform is what they are making it out to be I think it'll be the next evolution in truck and industrial equipment energy.
Yes, like owners renting their model 3s out to the Tesla Network to run an automated Uber-like service.
Tesla has to have jackknife control to allow aggressive use of regen on an articulated truck. But Tesla should not be given credit for "a huge safety gain" which is undoubtedly vaporware today.