this post was submitted on 30 Dec 2023
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Electrifying the trucks will not solve the problem. Batteries don't have the energy density to work for long haul trucks.
Zero emissions long haul freight is a solved problem. Electrified rail. It just needs to be built.
Governments are continuing to subsidize trucks instead of building the solution that already exists.
There is still last mile/miles concerns. Not every grocer can have a rail spur, but it can be serviced by a local fleet of electric trucks. The ultimate solution is a mix of various electrified transport.
Freight trolly has been a thing and is still used in some places. Between trains, freight trolly, and cargo bikes you could cover basically all urban use cases and most rural use cases.
Logistics predatss cars and trucks by quite a bit, the last hundred years has been an aboration masquerading as the norm. Those old solutions can be brought back.
https://insideevs.com/news/686339/pepsico-tesla-semi-545-mile-range-test/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/08/tech/virgin-hyperloop-passengers/index.html
I'm curious what you think the energy density needs to be for it to be viable and why? The way I see it energy density is a very minor factor for this equation but I'm curious to hear your explanation.
The energy density isn't a problem. Problem is fine dust.
Delivering a single person by train is also stupid, but in a lot of places there are enough people making similar journeys that having a train does make sense. The same can be applied to freight.
Replacing every truck with an electric one would be an environmental disaster. More freight needs to be moved by rail, and the trucks that we still need should be electric.
And my content doesn't go against that. Just electrifying trucks won't solve the problem. We need fewer trucks.
I appreciate you disclosing that you're making a strawman argument at the very beginning. Very considerate.
Is that the most recent picture of a turntable you could find? Because you might've noticed that they aren't around very much anymore, because these days trains can just go in both directions.
It should have been a rail yard, but you can not see through the cargo are cars. Hence you would need two locos on both ends to quickly turn around the train, as long as you can not see backwards.
Or just one extra track to move your loco to the other end.
You want hydrogen trucks for this. It actually has the energy density needed.
You actually want hydrogen trucks. It actually has the energy density needed.
In a train a single train driver can transport a hundred containers. In a truck it is one. Similar story for other types of freight. At the same time electric trains are incredibly efficient, do not need recharging and are a common well understood technology. So you already have economy of scale for electric trains, whereas hydrogen trucks are extremely rarer.
The only situation hydrogen trucks are better then trains, is transporting a bit of cargo to a very remote location.
Except you have to have overhead powerlines. Not feasible in every location. Otherwise, your trains are diesel powered.