Staples just bought electric delivery trucks...

[WASDted]

According to Forbes Staples just ordered a fleet of all-electric trucks for medium duty deliveries. Good! and the best part is these trucks can only go around 50 MPH.

[Biker920]

when they say medium duty in the trucking industry it means small delivery box trucks for around town work at 45mph max with 40-50 miles distance a day. this is an application where electric power will work best for the environment. Now the bad news the Eco cost of today's battery manufacture is very steep using current technology and tech is not expected to change much in the next 10-20 years. also with a projected working life span of 5 years 7 max recycling and or disposal of the hazmat is still at the spent nuclear waste stage, store it then figure out what to do with it. Here's to Hoping that technology takes a sudden and long leap. By the way I see this from the perspective of an industrial repair Tech working on computer controlled robotic material handling equipment(self operating fork lifts). Later---

[WASDted]

you are right but in order for the technology to take leaps there has to be some adoption and use. they need to both learn from real use and profit from the tech in order to improve it and make it more efficient.

[Biker920]

Agreed but I have been repairing electric material handling equipment since the early 1970's and watched the hardware go from carbon pile step resistor controllers to full solid state power module ECM controlled Technology yet the top of the line power source is still the 100+ year old lead acid multi cell battery. They build this 14,000 lb lift truck that is capable of picking up 12,000 lbs and at 26,0000 lb gross weight run around a warehouse at 15 mph for minimum of 6 hrs a shift with out recharging the battery,but they can't design an automobile that weighs 5,000 lbs or less that will run the speed limit for 6 hrs on the open road. By the way that battery is powering a 2,300 psi hydraulic pump and a 500 psi steering pump for that 6 hrs. All for the complete price of approximately $30,000 US no subsidy and last 5 years before battery replacement. Later---

[alc6379]

So long as these things stay off of the Interstate Highway system, I'll be happy. Here at home, we have conventional gasoline/diesel Staples trucks (whose speeds are artificially limited to 60MPH) going down roads where the speed limit is 70. That's dangerous-- people have to slow down, then try to go around the trucks.

[WASDted]

battery tech is improving quickly. people need to buy electric cars and support those companies that are working on these innovations.