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from the I-wonder-who-delivers-the-parts? dept.
UPS will work with partner Workhorse, a battery-electric transportation technology company, to develop and deploy a fleet of 50 custom-built plug-in electric delivery trucks with zero emissions.
The goal is to make trucks that cost as much to buy as do traditional fuel-based delivery vehicles — even without taking into account subsidies. The Workhorse-designed vehicles will be all-electric, and are designed to run on a single charge throughout a normal delivery day and then charge back up overnight.
Workhorse says they'll have a 100-mile range, which is a good fit for in-city routes, and the trucks will first enter testing in urban areas in various parts of the U.S., including Atlanta, Dallas and LA. The test will lead to fine-tuning, which will lead to a larger fleet deployment targeting 2019.
Source: TechCrunch
Also at The Verge, Reuters and Cincinnati.com
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Sunday February 25 2018, @11:31PM (5 children)
European cities have population density, as well as a different cultural imperative around smaller vehicles.
It seems, from reading soylent and elsewhere, that many/most/lots of Americans believe: 1. They will need to drive 500 miles at the drop of a hat, despite not driving more than 50miles a day in the last few years; 2. Bigger is better. F100? No: F350, for a single occupant commute! (2a, anyone in a smaller vehicle is an eco-terrorist, wimp, gay, and/or a target) and 3. Any company attempting to improve efficiency, reduce costs, or make things better is only allowed to do it if they don't threaten points 1 or 2.
No one got this upset when couriers started using GPS or bar codes on packages, or computerized inventory and package tracking. This one additional piece of technology seems to cause far more angst.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 26 2018, @12:52AM
UPS needs a delivery truck that's big enough for all the packages they want to deliver in one run. Their desire for a big truck is based on economics, not cultural norms. Sure they could use a bunch of small trucks instead of a big one. But that would be more expensive.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday February 26 2018, @02:44AM (3 children)
> Americans believe: 1. They will need to drive 500 miles at the drop of a hat
We did something close to 400 miles yesterday to attend a lecture and also drop off 17 boxes of donations to a specialized library. I'll be doing the same thing a few more times this year.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Monday February 26 2018, @02:52AM (2 children)
You win today's "I'm exceptional!" award.
https://itstillruns.com/far-americans-drive-work-average-7446397.html [itstillruns.com]
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 27 2018, @07:17AM (1 child)
My average miles per day is low but I make much longer trips a few times a year.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Tuesday February 27 2018, @09:11AM
Most people don't manage EV maximum range in over two weeks. The half under the average, even longer.
Many households have two, or more vehicles. One of them could be an EV (likely most, but the tpruck isn't there, yet)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex