Tesla’s problems with the Tesla truck are well documented. But what about other automakers? Well, I recently talked to a delivery guy. The company he works for uses a fleet of Ford ETransit  (yes, that’s “electric” Ford Transit) and Rivian trucks.  His enthusiasm was muted.

The biggest problem, of course, is the range.  He said that Ford ETransit was giving him about 100 mile range. Rivian vans were better, at 140 miles, but it was not because of super efficiency – they just have a bigger battery pack.

The bane of the electric cars – limited range – will continue to impact electric vans for years to come. Imagine crawling in Bay Area traffic, and your electric van is running low on power. Are you close to a charging station? Is it a fast charging station? How about 15 minutes to get 45 mile range at a fast charging station. But at the Level 2 Ford Connected Charge Station, it will take almost 3 hrs. to recharge, so you can go another 45 miles. I will take a diesel or gasoline vehicle every day of the week.

So in addition to the environmental damage that comes from rare earth metals mining ( needed for battery packs), generating electricity and wastting said electricity  during transmission from the power plants to the charging station, the problems with overloading of the electric grid, and the problems with used battery packs, we continue to have range and refueling time problems. For now, diesel and gasoline powered vans sure look like a better choice.