Mercedes Is now Selling Electric Semis

[kernals12]

It's easy to forget, but Mercedes Benz builds commercial vehicles like trucks and buses. And just a week ago they unveiled one that is powered by electricity.

It's called the EActros. They offer a range of about 240 miles and can be charged from 20 percent to 80% battery capacity in just an hour, making it ideal for short to medium haul freight.

Trucks are a source of a disproportionate amount of noise and pollution on our roads. Despite being only 10% of all vehicles on the road, trucks emit 45% of all Nitrous Oxide and 57% of all PM 2.5 from transportation, so electrifying them will make a major difference in quality of life, particularly for those who live near freeways. A proposal to widen the 710 freeway in Los Angeles was recently cancelled mostly due to worries about pollution from trucks, for instance. And thanks to regenerative braking, it will hopefully all but end the horrific accidents caused by the failure of hydraulic brakes.

One issue is that trucks cause a disproportionate amount of wear on the highways, and if nothing changes, soon they won't be paying a cent towards repairing the damage they cause. That should be an impetus for per mile fees, like the one recently passed by Connecticut. There's also the worry that because they're so quiet, they'll provide less warning to pedestrians and cyclists.

[kernals12]

California should take advantage of this. Put inductive coils underneath I-5 and SR 99 in the Central Valley and the 110 and 710 Freeways in LA. The improvements in air quality would be spectacular. And the profits earned from selling electricity to truckers could help pay for maintenance.

[zachary_amaryllis]

California should take advantage of this. Put inductive coils underneath I-5 and SR 99 in the Central Valley and the 110 and 710 Freeways in LA. The improvements in air quality would be spectacular. And the profits earned from selling electricity to truckers could help pay for maintenance.

your heart is in the right place, for sure.. but..

isn't there quite a bit of loss with wireless charging... like 'if you pump 10 watts into the air, you receive 1'?

and it just 'moves' the pollution.. instead of it coming out the tailpipe, it comes out the stack of the power plant..

[Rothman]

I'd worry about the lifespan of inductive coils in pavement.

[kernals12]

California should take advantage of this. Put inductive coils underneath I-5 and SR 99 in the Central Valley and the 110 and 710 Freeways in LA. The improvements in air quality would be spectacular. And the profits earned from selling electricity to truckers could help pay for maintenance.

your heart is in the right place, for sure.. but..

isn't there quite a bit of loss with wireless charging... like 'if you pump 10 watts into the air, you receive 1'?

and it just 'moves' the pollution.. instead of it coming out the tailpipe, it comes out the stack of the power plant..

This is California we're talking about, any new demand for electricity from electric trucks would come from solar panels and wind turbines.

[Brandon]

California should take advantage of this. Put inductive coils underneath I-5 and SR 99 in the Central Valley and the 110 and 710 Freeways in LA. The improvements in air quality would be spectacular. And the profits earned from selling electricity to truckers could help pay for maintenance.

your heart is in the right place, for sure.. but..

isn't there quite a bit of loss with wireless charging... like 'if you pump 10 watts into the air, you receive 1'?

and it just 'moves' the pollution.. instead of it coming out the tailpipe, it comes out the stack of the power plant..

This is California we're talking about, any new demand for electricity from electric trucks would come from solar panels and wind turbines.

Which in turn have their own pollution and problems.  Solar panels are considered a hazardous material that must be recycled or put in a Subtitle C landfill when their useful life is over (about 25 years max).  Never mind that solar panels also take up land space that can be considered "habitat".  Wind turbines use lubricating oil, and are deadly to bats and birds.

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/solar/the-mounting-solar-panel-waste-problem/

https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions/wind-turbines.php
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fort/science/bat-fatalities-wind-turbines-investigating-causes-and-consequences?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

[Rothman]

California should take advantage of this. Put inductive coils underneath I-5 and SR 99 in the Central Valley and the 110 and 710 Freeways in LA. The improvements in air quality would be spectacular. And the profits earned from selling electricity to truckers could help pay for maintenance.

your heart is in the right place, for sure.. but..

isn't there quite a bit of loss with wireless charging... like 'if you pump 10 watts into the air, you receive 1'?

and it just 'moves' the pollution.. instead of it coming out the tailpipe, it comes out the stack of the power plant..

This is California we're talking about, any new demand for electricity from electric trucks would come from solar panels and wind turbines.

Which in turn have their own pollution and problems.  Solar panels are considered a hazardous material that must be recycled or put in a Subtitle C landfill when their useful life is over (about 25 years max).  Never mind that solar panels also take up land space that can be considered "habitat".  Wind turbines use lubricating oil, and are deadly to bats and birds.

https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/renewable/solar/the-mounting-solar-panel-waste-problem/

https://www.fws.gov/birds/bird-enthusiasts/threats-to-birds/collisions/wind-turbines.php
https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fort/science/bat-fatalities-wind-turbines-investigating-causes-and-consequences?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects

I'll still take solar and wind over fossil fuels.

[Brian556]

It's easy to forget, but Mercedes Benz builds commercial vehicles like trucks and buses. And just a week ago they unveiled one that is powered by electricity.

It's called the EActros. They offer a range of about 240 miles and can be charged from 20 percent to 80% battery capacity in just an hour, making it ideal for short to medium haul freight.

Trucks are a source of a disproportionate amount of noise and pollution on our roads. Despite being only 10% of all vehicles on the road, trucks emit 45% of all Nitrous Oxide and 57% of all PM 2.5 from transportation, so electrifying them will make a major difference in quality of life, particularly for those who live near freeways. A proposal to widen the 710 freeway in Los Angeles was recently cancelled mostly due to worries about pollution from trucks, for instance. And thanks to regenerative braking, it will hopefully all but end the horrific accidents caused by the failure of hydraulic brakes.

One issue is that trucks cause a disproportionate amount of wear on the highways, and if nothing changes, soon they won't be paying a cent towards repairing the damage they cause. That should be an impetus for per mile fees, like the one recently passed by Connecticut. There's also the worry that because they're so quiet, they'll provide less warning to pedestrians and cyclists.

Locomotives, which use diesel to generate their own electricity, use an annoying continuously-operating bell to make their presence known to pedestrians