According to US Department of Energy (DOE), class 8 truck annually consumes in average 11,800 gal of diesel fuel. With national average cost of diesel fuel of $3.00 gal, in 2019, the average vehicle’s fuel-associated costs in 2019 were [11,800*3], i.e. $35,400. Since an average price of class 8 truck in 2018 was $117,430, cost of fuel reaches parity with vehicle’s cost in around [117,430/35,400], i.e. 3,3 years. According to American Transportation Institute, in 2009 – 2017, fuel cost in truck transportation accounted for 21 – 39% of operational costs, depending on the fuel cost.

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Although the truck industry has been diligently working on improving trucks’ fuel economy for years, and achieved impressive results, it has always been clear that the most advanced diesel engine for a truck will never become as efficient as electric power-plant. As soon as substantial reduction of specific Li-ion battery cost took place truck manufactures had rushed to develop electric trucks. Today, all major truck producers are either testing, manufacturing electric trucks, or have unveiled the prototypes; several new players are entering the segment, as well.

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Truck electrification, though, faces certain yet unsurmountable limitations. Many freight truck businesses need to have their vehicles on highways for up to 20 hours a day. Relatively long charging time (around two hours) and unimpressive claimed ranges (200 – 300 mi.) of conventional electric trucks, make this need difficult to meet. Also, electric truck’s range is commonly estimated at a cruising speed of only 65 MPH, i.e. in real world the ranges will be shorter than the claimed ones.

Class 8 electric truck (ET) commonly consumes 200 – 220 kWh of electric power per 100mi. Even with the battery’s best available gravimetric energy of 160 Wh/kg, the battery weight of the vehicle with 300 mi. range is estimated at  [(300/100)*200/0.16], i.e. 3,750 kg.

Due to vehicle chassis’ mechanical strengths limitations, a heavy battery reduces ET’s cargo capacity. Moreover, even with an optimistic specific cost of Li-ion batteries of $80/kWh, the 600 kWh battery costs around $48,000. 

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Estimates show that if such an ET was equipped with a 220 – 250 kW AG-gas turbine generator paired with a pack of graphene high power, low energy ultra-capacitors similar to that of AG-EVTOL prototype, and had a cruise power of 200 kW, then: 

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• the vehicle’s range limit would exceed 900mi;

• the cost of fuel per mi. would remain the same as that of an original ET;

• vehicle’s cargo capacity would increase by around 2,750 kg, because its powertrain with fuel for 900 mi range would weight only around 1000 kg;

• the cost of the vehicle would be lower than that of an original ET.