I wonder why a PHEV semi has not been developed. Isn't it a goldilock choice between EV and hydrogen power?
I wonder why a PHEV semi has not been developed. Isn't it a goldilock choice between EV and hydrogen power?
A new diesil engine for semi has been released recently. It has a base engine brake thermal efficiency over 53 percent. For semi, it is either diesel or EV, PHEV does not make much sence since the diesel is really effcient already.Not really. Semis tend to live in the highway, and even in short haul scenarios/use cases there is little to none regenerative braking to make a PHEV or hybrid semi matter. You simply add complexity, infrastructure, weight, procurement and maintenance costs without a well defined operative benefit.
There are of course use cases (short haul multi stop, hilly areas, daycabs) where hybrids make a lot more sense, and we are starting to see them emerging.