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Anyone thinking about a new Truck

trucks electric

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#1 moveinon

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 05:46 PM

I hear discussions on here about buying new trucks and their price now and thought it may be time for a different discussion around that.  I am clearly biased but I think in less than 5 years that gas and diesel trucks will be something of the past and expect resale values to drop precipitously for them in just the next few years.  Electric trucks from a variety of brands are about to hit the market in the next few years.  At least one off road ready truck is already for sale.  Tesla expects their truck to go into production next year, Ford is now converting a plant to produce electric trucks and VW is expanding substantially their electric car manufacturing plant and is considering trucks.  I can speak from some experience now that I have owned a Tesla for a year.  As best I can calculate it cost $567 total to drive my car last year (and part of that was all weather floor mats), I spent more than that on gas for my truck before the end of March.  The Tesla has hugely more power, better stability, more traction, many times more towing capacity and a lot more low end torque than my truck. In the two fleets that use Tesla cars they have had very little repair and maintenance (one is even only on its second set of brakes) and all these cars now exceeded 500,000 miles (except one that wrecked).  A electric truck should have no maintenance for 5 years except rotating tires and changing windshield wipers.  My Tesla goes between 310 and 340 miles before needing to be recharged depending on hills and weather which would not be enough for my truck and camper.  But if the new electric trucks have the towing and load capacity that is projected and get comparable mileage to the current gas and diesel trucks with reasonable pricing I think our current trucks are done for and certainly anyone buying a new truck now can expect to take a substantial loss upon sale as there just is no comparison on the performance side between an ICE truck and an electric truck both on road and off.  Manufacturers are not quite there yet but they certainly are racing in fast.  Two, three years maybe.  And who of us with a FWC wouldn’t love to have a whole engine compartment available for storage and a huge built in battery system for camper electric.  What do you all think?  Would you still buy an ICE truck or wait and see what happens with electric?

 


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#2 Mighty Dodge Ram

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 05:56 PM

The main criterion for me would be range. When they can figure out how to (re)charge the batteries remotely I’m in. Can you get enough from solar? Cloudy days? I agree with you, I think electric is coming soon. But for our purposes I think it’s further off than we’d like. 


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Richard
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2002 Chevy 2500HD XC LB 6.0L 4X4, Leer Hi-Rise shell, completely stock...for now!

#3 byrdlover

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 06:02 PM

I have a 2017 Taco and do not plan to buy a new truck for at least three years. For all of the reasons you describe, as well as my own environmental reasons, my next truck will be electric assuming I can acquire an electric truck with 4WD that will handle my ATC Bobcat. 


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#4 windy

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 06:38 PM

Y’all hurry up and buy your electric trucks. Get your names on the waiting lists so you don’t miss out. The sooner the better. Then we will have a surplus of gas/diesel and prices can drop back down below $1/gallon. More reason for me to keep my 1999 Land Cruiser!!!
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#5 windy

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 06:52 PM

All kidding aside, for the near future, my guess is we will see some form of hybrid vehicles for the masses. The transportation industry has proven its value in trains and ships through the widespread use of diesel electric systems. The propulsion motors are 100% electric with power being supplied by an ICE generator. And I think we will eventually see a variation of this in the near future for cars and trucks. Not as sexy as 100% electric but much more practical until the pure electric infrastructure becomes more robust and widespread in rural / low population density areas.
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#6 PaulT

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 06:59 PM

I say we push for a electric charging station at Teakettle Junction and another on the Burr trail.  :D  

Let the flames begin. :P

Paul


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I thought getting old would take longer.

#7 Tuff Guy 62

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 09:20 PM

Current technology is just not there yet. Range geometrically decreases driving uphill, off road and when towing or hauling significant payload. Not very practical for our use hauling around a truck camper in the back country or anywhere else for that matter. TFL did an interesting experiment with their Model X.

 

 

Maybe someday the technology will be there. In the meantime I'd go with the ICE hands down.


Edited by Tuff Guy 62, 14 November 2019 - 09:21 PM.

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#8 moveinon

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Posted 14 November 2019 - 11:11 PM

Tuff guy 62, Thanks for the video.  I never plan to tow with my car, and now can see why.  Just as a fyi I loose very little going over mountain passes as I gain on the downhill almost everything lost going up, so pretty much like driving on flat road.  But I do experience significant loss of range when below 32 degrees, a little over 1/3rd of the range which would never work with the camper.  And certainly agree the trucks are not there yet as said.  But do think they can be soon as Tesla already has a semi with almost 500 mile range and roadster with over 650 mile range which would make a electric truck workable for many.


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#9 Old Crow

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Posted 15 November 2019 - 01:46 AM

     Last February I met a Quebecois couple in the state park campground next to Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (in Georgia).  They were from Montreal and were traveling in a Tesla and towing a Safari Condo Alto F1743 trailer.

 

     If you happen to be familiar with that area, it has a very rural feel so I asked whether they had had any problems finding charging stations.  They said they had had no trouble at all and said there are a surprising number of charging stations available.  They also said they reserve a 50-amp campsite so they can charge the Tesla overnight.

 

   I was happy to take them up on their offer of a tour of their Alto.  They told me they're planning to trade it in on a 21-foot Alto.  At the time I thought they meant the larger one similar to theirs but now I'm wondering if they had advance notice of the new, more efficient A2124 announced this past summer.

 

   They also told me of the TeslaXCanada couple and their travels across Canada and the US in a Tesla towing a Safari Condo R1723 camper several years ago.

 

    Also-- two weeks ago I met another Quebecois couple while taking a walk in the campground at my local state park.  They were towing a new Alto F2114 with a small SUV.  When I mentioned the couple I had met in Georgie, they told me they're also planning to buy a Tesla for their travels with the Alto.

.     


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#10 Optimistic Paranoid

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Posted 15 November 2019 - 10:10 AM

As far as electric vehicles for the masses go, nobody has yet explained to me:

 

Where the national electric grid is going to find enough capacity to charge all of these vehicles?  We have brownouts now in hot weather when everybody is running their air conditioning.  New generating plants are expensive and take a while to build.  Plus most use natural gas as fuel and the enviro-wackos have been keeping any new - much needed - pipelines from being built.  The gas company around New York City is already refusing to hook any new construction up to the gas supply, citing insufficient capacity.

 

As somebody who has been driving his whole life in a northern state where the temperatures hit 20 below or lower sometimes, where does the power to HEAT these vehicles come from?  If they draw power from the battery pack to run electric heaters, how badly does that cut into the range?


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