The recent push towards electric vehicles has been met with skepticism from some corners. One such critic is Chace Barber, a trucker and founder of Edison Motors, who has expressed his concerns about the practicality of fully electric semi-trucks.

In a video that recently went viral, Barber explained the shortcomings of the current electric vehicle narrative. He argued that poor infrastructure and the heavy weight of electric batteries make it nearly impossible for large vehicles like semi-trucks to run entirely on electricity.

Barber pointed out that a logging truck uses about two and a half megawatts of power per day. To meet this demand with an electric battery, a truck would need a three-megawatt battery pack. The largest currently available is Tesla’s one-megawatt battery, meaning that electric trucks would require three times this capacity. Filling this gap would necessitate packing 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of batteries into the truck. This massive weight would pose many issues, including the need for a drastically improved braking system to increase stopping power.

Edison trucks are doing the work. Yes, it's hybrid & not without limitations, BUT he makes very valid points that few in the EV crowd won't address.
Great job @EdisonMotorsLtd ! pic.twitter.com/VO7LU3h8XD

— Red Scarf Müsik (@MusicScarf) October 30, 2023

However, it’s not just the weight of the batteries that’s a problem. Barber also highlighted the fact that the electrical grid infrastructure in North America hasn’t been significantly updated since the mid-20th century. The grid is far from being capable of powering all the needed vehicles. Even if the weight of the batteries could be reduced to a reasonable level, the grid wouldn’t be able to handle the extra load.

As an example, Barber mentioned that there are 5,000 logging trucks in British Columbia alone. Each of these trucks consumes two and a half megawatts of power per day, totaling twelve and a half gigawatts. To put this in perspective, the Site C dam, which has been under construction for 15 years at a cost of $20 billion, has a capacity of only 1.1 gigawatts. To generate the power needed for just the logging trucks, an area of land the size of Wales would have to be flooded to produce that hydropower.

Given these challenges, Barber advocates for a hybrid diesel-electric model, like the one his company, Edison Motors, is developing. The company completed its second round of funding in September 2023 and is working on a “more powerful production prototype with upgraded tri-axle drivetrain & custom cab.”

While electric vehicles might seem like an attractive solution to environmental concerns, practical issues such as infrastructure limitations and battery weight make full electrification a challenging prospect for larger vehicles. Hybrid solutions, like the one proposed by Barber, may provide a more feasible path forward.