A 2-tonne battery on wheels is unlikely to disrupt the trucking industry
Batteries take up far more space and weight for a given output of energy than petrol and diesel, which is a problem for heavy-duty longer-distance trucks
Sydney — Is Tesla’s Semi on the verge of doing to the trucking industry what the iPhone did to telecommunications? Probably not — but the decarbonisation of road freight may still upend both the logistics business and the oil industry. To see why, have a look at the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) estimates last week for future oil demand. Consumption by passenger vehicles, buildings, industry and generators has all but peaked, according to the agency’s scenario. By 2025, demand from cars and buses will increase by about 1.4-million barrels a day from 2015 levels — equivalent to about 1.5% of the global daily output of 92-million barrels. From there, it will began an inexorable decline. Demand growth will really depend on three sectors: petrochemicals; aviation and shipping; and road freight. As Julian Lee has argued in Gadfly previously, the petrochemicals part of that story — essentially, that use of plastics is set to grow dramatically in the coming decades — could already ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.