A statement is said to be “self-evident” when it is stating something that everyone already knows and understands.
A familiar use of this is from the Declaration of Independence. "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." Were it only that easy in today's world of opinion-based social media, where facts seem open to wide-ranging interpretation.
My truism today is that Class 8 battery electric trucks are not yet suited to replace long haul diesels.
I thought that this point was fairly obvious since the range for today's production heavy-duty BEVs from multiple manufacturers hover between 150 and 250 miles per full charge. Yet I continue to read headlines from major, respected research groups that state this truism as if it is some new nail in the coffin for all BEVs versus other technologies.
This begs the question, are these reports chasing headlines? Trying to influence impressions of the technology’s readiness? Are they reflecting some bias or vested interests?
It always amazes me how quickly the discussion of replacing Class 8 diesel trucks jumps to the assumption that all heavy-duty trucks are long haul (600-plus miles per day) and always operate at 80,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight (GVW). In reality, long haul is less than 10% of trucks used in the U.S., and the distribution on vehicle weights is not so easy to characterize.
Vehicle tare weight and range are indeed definitely important topics in talking about electric trucks. In NACFE’s recent market segment report, Electric Trucks Have Arrived: The Use Case For Heavy-Duty Regional Haul Tractors, I outlined the relationship between range and weight for production BEVs and provided real-world data on actual operating vehicle weights. Range and weight are two factors that are clearly related. Some examples discussed in the report are worth reviewing.
