Electric Trucks for Hotshotting?

As of 2023 is it feasible for a hot shot carrier to switch to electric trucks?

Electric trucks have instant power and very high torque. They also are unaffected by elevation changes unlike combustion engines. 

WalMart is even purchasing electric tractors that can haul full size vans 500 miles so what about using a Ford Lightening for hot shot?

Bottom line the truck sizes and ranges just are not there yet. If you are doing courier work in town then maybe thats the exception.

Presently there are no one ton truck options in electric. So no pulling your 30 foot gooseneck trailer with a GCW of 25,000 lbs or more. 

The F150 based electric truck can travel about 500 KM before recharge however that range is cut by over 25% as soon as you tow anything. There are few hot shot destinations in Western Canada that you can reach within this limited range and few charging options when you reach them. 

Speaking of charging options, what if your emergency hot shot shipment does in fact run along a corridor with EV chargers? You may arrive only to find all chargers in use. By their nature EV trucks require larger capacity batteries and thus longer charge times so after waiting your turn you are now in for another long delay.

There’s more bad news unfortunately as presently chargers are geared for automobiles not hot shot carriers with trailers so you won’t fit unless you unhitch your trailer and find somewhere to park it temporarily. 

All this stress and delays will then be compounded as your customer calls asking for an update on their hot shot rush shipment. 

By nature hotshotting service is critical for industry like remote mines, hydro, mills and gas plants where you will not find charging options and are well beyond the range of current EVs.

A more reasonable green option in the future is likely hydrogen powered hot shot trucks when fuel refilling locations are plentiful as this fuel can be quickly filled up and the truck can continue rolling. 

In the meantime our hot shot trucks have ranges from 1600 to 5000 KM before requiring a ten minute refuel. Yes typically the driver need to check on the load securement or use a bathroom long before he’s even a quarter of the way through the fuel range we carry onboard.

For the driver this reduces stress and adds safety as the truck can stay warm and heated at -30 while waiting on avalanche control for several hours. It also means when you need hot shot service to remote locations you know there will not be delays or detours as our drivers try to source fuel along the way. 

For now diesel is king for hotshotting.