Nextbigfuture has calculated that a Tesla Cybertruck will be able to beat the range of a gas-powered Ford F150. This is based upon the calculated Tesla Cybertruck specifications with the assumption they will use Tesla Semi technology. A Ford F150 has a 23 gallon fuel tank and gets 460 miles of range without carrying anything and gets 207 miles of range with payload. F150 handles 8,200 lbs. of towing and maximum payload of 1,985 lbs. The F-150 Platinum has a 36 gallon tank. The platinum has a range of 324 mile range with a heavy load.
Tesla Cybertruck will also use several Plaid engines and a 1000 volt powertrain. This is optimized to not lose range under load. Cybertrucks with Semi engines and powertrain should have 200 miles of range with full loads with 85 kWh batteries and 250 miles with 110 kWh. A 180 kWh pack should give 500 miles empty and 400 miles under class 4 load.
I matched the formula for energy used by the Tesla Semi for their recent 500-mile video recorded delivery of 81,000 lbs. Tesla is about 13% from optimal assuming they drove at 60mph on their 500-mile test. If they drove at 52mph then they were 27% from optimal. Optimal based upon known aerodynamics and other parameters. The formula is at the bottom of this article.
A Tesla Cybertruck that is able to match the Tesla Semi at 13% from optimal energy usage while towing or moving loads would surpass a Ford F150 range while towing with a 110 kWh battery pack.
I have used a formula for calculating the energy usage for an electric vehicle based upon its weight, speed and aerodynamics.
Instagrammer, Ftronz, posted a picture and video of a beta production Tesla Cybertruck.
Chemistry Researchers Calculated Better Batteries Would Be Needed for Semi Trucks
Tesla is using a 900-1000 kWh battery to move 22 tons of cargo over 500 miles and is using about 550 kWh for a 300 mile range Semi truck. This is beyond what was expected from lithium ion batteries for the 2017 paper.
Formula for Electric Trucks
The pack energy is (EP) depends on the energy utilized to overcome aerodynamic drag forces, frictional forces, the road gradient, and inertial forces. A significant fraction of the energy used to overcome inertial forces is recovered via regenerative braking when the vehicle is decelerating.
The important parameters are the coefficient of drag (Cd), average velocity (v) and root-mean-square of the velocity (vrms), the coefficient of rolling resistance (Crr), the gross on-road vehicle weight (GVW) represented by (WT) (includes the payload and battery pack), the road gradient Z, and the total time taken for a fixed driving range determined from .
The road gradient term is accounted for using the expression (Z = r/100), where r is the percentage road grade and (tf) is the fraction of time the vehicle spends at a road grade of r%.
They assume a road grade r of 1% and (tf) of 15%.
The other fixed parameters are ρ, the density of air (1.2 kg/m3), g the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2), A the frontal area of the vehicle (7.2 m2), a the mean acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle (0.112 m/s2). ηbw is the battery-to-wheels efficiency of ~85% which includes the battery discharge efficiency of 95% and a drivetrain efficiency of 90%. ηbrk accounts for the efficiency of the brakes and is assumed to be 97%.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
