Tesla CyberTruck: How Battery Day Totally Changed What We Know About Electric Pickups

[bertschb]

And so it begins..."California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state will ban sales of gas-powered vehicles, effective in 2035."

[SolarPoweredRV]

And so it begins..."California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday that the state will ban sales of gas-powered vehicles, effective in 2035."

This is the first I had heard of this mandate. Is this an actual law? Or just a proposal? (update: it is law)

The UK is proposing the same mandate for 2030.

Update: this mandate also includes Heavy Duty Trucks, Vans and Commercial Fleet Operators.

[bertschb]

This is the first I had heard of this mandate. Is this an actual law? Or just a proposal?

It was just announced today. It's an executive order. California can't produce enough electricity today. It will be interesting to see what happens to their grid when 15,000,000 cars are being recharged every day - and they continue to shut down fossil fuel power plants. Increase power demand and reduce production. Genius!

One "solution" to the self inflicted power shortage I read about was to significantly raise rates. You can't make this stuff up! So when it's 105 outside and you NEED air conditioning, the solution is to raise the rates? By that logic, I should get better fuel mileage in my truck if they increase fuel prices.

Sorry for taking this OT. I am glad to hear about progress in battery technology. Lighter/cheaper/higher density is all good stuff. Better range in electric cars and smaller/lighter/cheaper LiFePO4 RV batteries is a very good thing!

[TheLexx]

Complicated subject here. IMO however, PG&E is a criminal monopoly. The state PUC just rubber stamps their egregious rate increases. PG&E gets fined for criminal negligence in the Millbrae explosion and fires that decimated a neighborhood and killed some people. And what did they do? They passed the fines along to their customers of course. How is it that Roseville Electric and SMUD, which services the cities of Roseville and Sacramento respectively, have such massively lower rates than PG&E? Why is PG&E deemed a "public" utility when there's nothing public about it other than it has the right to rip the public off?

I fully support solar. If our idiot governor Newsome truly supported clean power, instead of banning ICE vehicles, he (along with the left wing controlled stated legislature), would he'd mandate that ALL new homes built have rooftop solar of adequate capacity to offset their electrical usage. In massive quantities, solar would not add that much to the cost of a new home. We have solar on our roof and despite the fact that we live where it's typically 100°+ during the summer, and we have 5 ton and 3.5 ton air conditioning units, our true up at the end of the year is less than $1000.

I would go so far as requiring solar and batteries to be installed, thereby allowing homes to use STORED energy when the sun goes down.

As for the Cybertruck, sorry but that thing is butt ugly. It may be ok for a travel trailer, but at this time there's no way it'll support a fifth wheel. And many Superchargers are located where there's no room to expand their footprint. So I don't see how they're going to reconfigure the sites for a truck with a trailer in tow.

I am hoping however, that with the success of the Cybertruck, Tesla will produce something eventually that is more conventionally shaped and has lower bed rails and the capacity to tow a fiver. Combine that with a good rooftop solar system on your fifth wheel and now we're talking.

[marlowefamily]

The fallacy is everyone simplifying discussion to an either/or scenario: gas or electric. The correct but more expensive answer for those willing to go off the beaten path is using gas and electric together.

Provide me with an gas engine good for 500 miles of towing, and add on an electric motor, 250 mile daily driving range battery, regenerative braking, and built in 3kw inverter.

Program the car to seamlessly switch between gas and electric as needed, using both for maximum engine stopping power or for heavy towing.

Pure electric is the low tech cheap option for the masses.

Sent from my SM-T820 using Tapatalk

[bertschb]

The fallacy is everyone simplifying discussion to an either/or scenario: gas or electric. The correct but more expensive answer for those willing to go off the beaten path is using gas and electric together.

The problem is the manufacturers are running headlong into electric-only product lines. I thought the Volt was a great idea but GM dropped it. As governments continue to mandate electric only vehicles, manufacturers and consumers will have no choice but electric.

[Overtaxed]

The problem is the manufacturers are running headlong into electric-only product lines. I thought the Volt was a great idea but GM dropped it. As governments continue to mandate electric only vehicles, manufacturers and consumers will have no choice but electric.

I've always thought the coolest setup would be a diesel-electric. A moderately sized diesel engine that only powers a generator, runs at constant RPMs, and the generator is sized to bring a moderately sized battery pack up to full charge relatively quickly. A diesel running at constant RPM is crazy efficient and you wouldn't need 400HP, probably more like 50-100HP (which is good for 25-50KW of power). Add in regen braking (think exhaust brake), a 100KWh battery pack, and, well, now you've got something I'd be really interested in. I'm surprised that this hasn't come to the HDT market yet, we have all the tech to do this (trains, for example, have been diesel-electric for a long time) and it would seem to be a great way to deal with the cost of batteries, range anxiety, great MPG.

Maybe someday.

[SolarPoweredRV]

I've always thought the coolest setup would be a diesel-electric. A moderately sized diesel engine that only powers a generator, runs at constant RPMs, and the generator is sized to bring a moderately sized battery pack up to full charge relatively quickly. A diesel running at constant RPM is crazy efficient and you wouldn't need 400HP, probably more like 50-100HP (which is good for 25-50KW of power). Add in regen braking (think exhaust brake), a 100KWh battery pack, and, well, now you've got something I'd be really interested in. I'm surprised that this hasn't come to the HDT market yet, we have all the tech to do this (trains, for example, have been diesel-electric for a long time) and it would seem to be a great way to deal with the cost of batteries, range anxiety, great MPG.

Maybe someday.

Yes, this is a good idea. This is exactly how the Chevy Volt was designed, Only the electric powertrain drives the wheels, the Gas engine runs a generator that recharges the battery, just enough to replenish the energy used to propel the car (not enough to recharge the battery to full). The Chevy Volt was designed differently than other Hybrids like the Prius, in the Prius the Electric motor assists the Gas engine in propelling the vehicle, this is especially useful when accelerating from a stop.

While this idea is valid and it can increase Miles Per Gallon, it does not address the pollution issue the way that Electrifying the entire Transportation sector can.

[BigSwick]

the truck will be available long before a reasonable number of campgrounds are available where you can recharge

[SolarPoweredRV]

the truck will be available long before a reasonable number of campgrounds are available where you can recharge

All campgrounds with a 20, 30 or 50 amp connector can be used to charge an Electric Vehicle. All you need is an appropriate adapter and the charger (EVSE) that comes with your Electric Vehicle.

In practical use, if the campsite is a 30 amp campsite there is usually a 20 amp connector next to the 30 amp outlet, you could simply plug in your Electric Pickup to the 20 amp outlet and let it charge over the weekend. If you need to charge the vehicle faster, then you can use the 30 amp circuit at night, or when you are away from the camper, unless you need your air conditioning, then you might need to plan for a stop at a DC fast charging station on your way home. If the campsite has a 50 and a 30 amp connector, then you could use the connector your coach does not use to charge the truck. Additionally, you can program your truck to charge up overnight to minimize impact on the Electric supply in the campground.

EV charging is easier than you might think before you own an EV. With a little bit of flexibility and some creative ingenuity you can keep your EV charged up.