Think of a battery and a load as two dance partners passing energy back and forth 💫. The potential difference (voltage) is the rhythm that keeps them moving. Change the rhythm, and the dance changes.

1. Potential difference across a battery

The battery is the energy source. Its potential difference tells you how much energy it gives to each unit of charge.

Key effects:

• Higher battery voltage → more energy per charge
• Lower battery voltage → less energy per charge
• A battery has internal resistance, so:
  • When no load is connected, the voltage is at its maximum (emf)
  • When a load is connected, some voltage is “lost” inside the battery

📉 Under heavy load, the battery voltage drops due to internal resistance.

2. Potential difference across a load

The load is the energy consumer (bulb, motor, phone, resistor).

Key effects:

• Determines current flow (Ohm’s Law: V = IR)
• Controls power used by the load
  [
  P = VI
  ]
• Higher voltage across the load →
  • More current (if resistance is constant)
  • More power (brighter bulb, faster motor, more heat)

💡 Example:

• A bulb at correct voltage → normal brightness
• Voltage too high → overheats, may burn out
• Voltage too low → dim or doesn’t work

3. Battery vs Load: side-by-side

4. Big idea (exam-friendly)

• Battery voltage determines the maximum available energy
• Load voltage determines how that energy is used
• Actual voltage across the load is less than battery emf when current flows

Let’s roll the same potential difference idea onto the tarmac of electric heavy commercial trucks 🚛⚡. Same physics, bigger muscles, higher stakes.

1. Battery pack potential difference in heavy EV trucks

In electric trucks, the battery is not a tiny cell, it’s a high-voltage pack.

Typical ranges:

• 600 V – 800 V (some platforms go even higher)

Effects of high battery voltage:

• More energy per charge carrier
• Lower current for the same power
  [
  P = VI \Rightarrow \text{higher V → lower I}
  ]
• Reduced heat losses in cables
  [
  \text{Loss} \propto I^2R
  ]

This is crucial in trucks because they pull tens of tonnes and demand hundreds of kilowatts.

2. Voltage drop inside the battery (real-world load)

Truck batteries have:

• Internal resistance
• Thermal limits
• State-of-charge effects

When the truck:

• Accelerates hard
• Climbs hills
• Carries heavy cargo

👉 Current demand spikes
👉 Battery voltage sags temporarily
👉 Control systems limit power to protect cells

This is why drivers feel reduced power at low charge.

3. Potential difference across the load (motors + inverter)

The load in an electric truck includes:

• Traction motors
• Inverters
• Auxiliary systems

Higher voltage across the motor means:

• Higher torque (for a given motor design)
• Higher power delivery
• Better efficiency at highway speeds

But:

• Too high voltage → insulation stress
• Too low voltage → torque loss, overheating

So electronics constantly shape and regulate the voltage.

4. Heavy trucks vs small EVs (why voltage matters more)

High voltage keeps the system lighter, cooler, and safer.

5. Regenerative braking: load becomes source

During braking:

• Motors become generators
• Load turns into a battery charger
• Voltage rises
• Battery absorbs energy

If battery voltage is already high:

• Regen is limited
• Mechanical brakes take over

That’s why regen weakens at high state of charge.

6. Big-picture takeaway (industry logic)

• Battery voltage = energy availability
• Load voltage = how that energy is used
• High voltage enables:
  • Massive power
  • Lower losses
  • Practical long-haul electrification

Electric trucks don’t break the rules of physics, they just turn the volume way up 🔊⚡.

Imagine driving a 6000-ish km highway from the Port of Mombasa to Kinshasa as a long, winding energy experiment 📏⚡ vs 🛢️. If you swapped diesel behemoths for electric heavy trucks, here’s how efficiency and energy use would play out on that endurance run.

🔋 1. How efficient are electric trucks vs diesel trucks?

At the heart of the comparison is energy conversion efficiency — what portion of stored energy actually gets turned into motion:

🔹 Electric drivetrains convert about 85 – 90 % of electrical energy into motion at the wheels.
🔹 Diesel engines only convert roughly 30 – 40 % of the chemical energy in fuel into motion; the rest is lost as heat and friction. (CAMC Export)

That means that, for each unit of energy you put into the system:

• An electric truck makes about 2–3× more useful work than a diesel truck.

🛻 2. What that means for long-distance trucking

Over a route like Mombasa to Kinshasa (huge distances, varied terrain):

⚡ Electric Truck Efficiency

• Batteries use energy more directly, with far less energy wasted.
• Regenerative braking on hills and urban segments captures energy back into the battery — something diesel can’t do. (Trans.INFO)

🛢️ Diesel Truck Efficiency

• Much of the energy in diesel fuel disappears as heat.
• Diesel engines idle and lose energy when stopped or slow, especially over long routes.

Net effect: Electric trucks have significantly lower energy consumption per kilometer travelled. Some studies find electric vehicles use ~65 % less energy for the same freight movement and recover up to ~20–30 % of energy via regen on varied routes. (Trans.INFO)

⛽ 3. Range & infrastructure reality

The wild card is range and refueling/recharging infrastructure:

🛢️ Diesel:

• A heavy diesel truck can typically go 1,200 km+ on a full tank.
• Refuel in ~15 minutes with extensive stations everywhere. (Bimmer Mag)

⚡ Electric:

• Most electric heavy trucks today manage ~300 – 600 km per charge (depending on battery size and load).
• Charging can take 1–2+ hours unless ultra-fast chargers or battery swapping are used. (Bimmer Mag)

Because of this, for very long distances like Mombasa→Kinshasa, an electric truck would need reliable megawatt-class charging stops or battery swaps spaced along the route — something that doesn’t yet exist in much of Africa.

So:

• Diesel remains more practical where charging networks are sparse or ranges exceed battery limits.
• Electric trucks excel where charging infrastructure is dense, routes are predictable, or there are planned charging stops.

🧠 4. Cost & operational impact over long distances

Even if the range question is solved:

🚚 Electric trucks cost less energy per km due to higher efficiency and lower cost per energy unit (electricity vs diesel fuel).
📉 They also have lower maintenance costs, fewer moving parts, and no idling fuel loss. (IEA)

However, the upfront cost is higher and charging downtime must be planned into schedules.

📊 Big-picture snapshot

🛣️ Real-world conclusion

Efficiency at the wheel: Electric heavy trucks use energy far more effectively than diesel trucks — potentially more than twice as efficient.
Practicality over long distances: Diesel still has the edge where charging infrastructure and battery range are not yet mature.

Once charging networks (or fast battery swap corridors) are built between hubs like Mombasa, Nairobi, Kampala, and Kinshasa, electric trucks could achieve massive energy and cost savings — like switching from a gas lantern to a LED floodlight 🌟.

Short answer: yes, it can, but only under certain conditions. A battery does not explode just because it is being used for a long time. It bursts when heat, stress, and chemistry gang up 🔥🔋. Let’s unpack it calmly and safely.

1. What “prolonged power drain” actually does

When a battery supplies power for a long time, especially at high current, three things happen inside:

1. Heat builds up
   Current flowing through internal resistance produces heat.
2. Chemical stress increases
   Lithium ions move continuously. At high rates, they do not move neatly.
3. Voltage drops
   Low voltage forces the battery to work harder to deliver the same power.

If heat is removed properly, everything stays peaceful.
If heat is trapped, trouble starts.

2. When prolonged drain becomes dangerous

A battery can burst, swell, catch fire, or go into thermal runaway when one or more of these happen:

🔥 High current for too long

• Drawing more current than the battery is designed for
• Common in overloaded systems or short circuits

🌡️ Poor cooling

• No airflow
• High ambient temperature
• Battery packed tightly with no heat escape

🧪 Battery damage or aging

• Old cells
• Manufacturing defects
• Physical damage

⚠️ Deep discharge beyond safe limits

• Draining below minimum voltage
• Causes internal copper dissolution and shorting later

This is why phones, laptops, EVs, and trucks shut down automatically before the battery is truly empty.

3. What actually causes a “burst”

Batteries do not explode like bombs. What really happens is:

1. Temperature rises
2. Internal chemical reactions accelerate
3. Gas forms inside the cell
4. Pressure builds
5. Case ruptures or vents
6. If hot enough → fire or violent rupture

This chain reaction is called thermal runaway 🔥.

4. Why EVs and heavy electric trucks rarely burst

Modern systems are wrapped in layers of protection:

• Battery Management System (BMS)
  Limits current, voltage, and temperature
• Thermal management
  Liquid cooling, heat spreaders, sensors everywhere
• Current derating
  Power is reduced automatically when hot or low

That is why an electric truck climbing a long hill may suddenly feel “weak”. The system is choosing safety over drama.

5. Comparison with diesel (interesting contrast)

• Diesel fuel is stable when stored but explosive when ignited
• Batteries are safe when controlled but dangerous when overheated

Both systems can fail. They just fail in different ways.

6. Clear takeaway

✅ Normal prolonged use → safe
⚠️ Prolonged high-current overload + heat + poor protection → dangerous
🔥 Burst or fire happens only when protections fail or are absent

In one sentence you can remember:

Batteries do not burst from working hard. They burst from overheating with no escape.

Great question. This is where textbook efficiency meets African reality 🌧️🛣️.

Let’s stitch battery stress, mechanical resistance, and real-world conditions into one clear picture, especially for long-haul routes with mud, heat, gradients, and bad roads.

1. What bad roads and weather do to power demand

On paper, trucks cruise.
In mud, rain, and rough terrain, they fight.

Mud, sand, potholes

• Rolling resistance shoots up
• Wheels slip
• Motors demand very high torque at low speed
• Current spikes

👉 For an electric truck, this means:

• Very high current draw
• Rapid heat buildup in:
  • Battery cells
  • Power electronics
  • Motors

For diesel:

• Engine revs rise
• Fuel burn increases
• Heat is dumped through exhaust and radiator

2. Prolonged high power = stress test for batteries

In mud or long hill climbs:

• Power demand stays high for a long time
• Cooling systems work at maximum
• Battery voltage sags

What the EV does:

• BMS limits current
• Power is reduced
• Truck slows down to protect itself

What the diesel does:

• Keeps burning fuel
• As long as diesel flows and cooling works, it pushes on

This is the core behavioral difference.

3. Can this cause batteries to burst in real life?

Under normal modern EV design:

❌ No bursting
✅ Power limiting and shutdown occur first

In extreme or poorly designed systems:

⚠️ Risk increases if:

• Cooling is overwhelmed (high ambient heat + mud + slow speed)
• Battery pack is damaged (stones, flooding)
• BMS is bypassed or faulty

Flooding is especially dangerous:

• Water intrusion can short cells
• Leads to delayed thermal runaway hours later

This is why EV packs are sealed, armored, and elevated in heavy trucks.

4. Weather effects compared

🌡️ Heat (common in East & Central Africa)

• Reduces battery efficiency
• Increases cooling load
• Limits peak power

Diesel also suffers:

• Lower air density
• Reduced engine power
• Higher cooling stress

🌧️ Rain & mud

• EV: high torque causes wheel slip → current spikes → power limiting
• Diesel: torque through gearbox → wheel slip too, but no electronic limit unless traction control intervenes

🏔️ Long climbs

• EV: sustained high current, thermal limiting
• Diesel: sustained high fuel burn, exhaust heat

5. Efficiency flips in these conditions

Under ideal roads:

• EV = 2–3× more energy efficient

Under severe mud / low-speed / long resistance:

• EV efficiency advantage shrinks
• Diesel’s ability to burn fuel continuously becomes practical

But important:

• Diesel is not more efficient
• It is simply more tolerant of abuse

Think of it like:

• EV = elite marathon runner, incredible efficiency, needs water and pacing
• Diesel = ox, slower, inefficient, but pulls forever through mud 🐂

6. Real-world logistics verdict (Mombasa → Kinshasa type routes)

Today:

• Diesel trucks still dominate:
  • Poor roads
  • Unpredictable weather
  • No charging infrastructure
  • Easy refueling anywhere

Near future (hybrid & corridor-based EVs):

• Electric trucks work well:
  • Port → inland hubs
  • Paved corridors
  • Scheduled charging
• Diesel or hybrid for:
  • Remote, muddy, damaged roads

7. Final truth you can trust

• Mud and bad roads demand high torque for long periods
• That means high current and heat for batteries
• Modern EVs will limit power, not burst
• Diesel survives abuse better, but wastes energy doing it

The physics favors electric.
The terrain still favors diesel.

Bottom line, stripped of marketing, politics, and wishful thinking 🌍⚙️

By the laws of physics, electric vehicles are more efficient than diesel.
By the laws of geography and infrastructure, diesel still wins many routes.

Both statements are true at the same time.

1. What physics says. No debate here.

Efficiency is about how much of the stored energy becomes motion at the wheels.

🔋 Electric (EV heavy trucks)

• Battery → inverter → motor → wheels
• 85–95% of energy becomes motion
• Regenerative braking recovers energy
• No idling losses

🛢️ Diesel (ICE trucks)

• Fuel → combustion → crankshaft → gearbox → wheels
• 30–40% efficiency at best
• Massive heat loss
• No energy recovery

Physics verdict:

Electric wins by ~2–3× efficiency. Always. Everywhere. Period.

No road, mud, hill, or weather can change this fundamental truth.

2. What nature and reality say

Nature adds friction, heat, time, and distance.

Long-distance global logistics reality

• Roads are imperfect
• Loads are heavy
• Weather is harsh
• Refueling must be fast and universal

Here diesel survives not because it is efficient, but because it is energy dense and tolerant.

Diesel carries:

• ~12,000 Wh/kg

Lithium batteries:

• ~250–300 Wh/kg

That difference is enormous.

3. The real trade-off in one table

4. The core misunderstanding

People often ask:

“Which is more efficient in the real world?”

That question mixes efficiency with operability.

They are not the same.

• Efficiency = physics
• Operability = infrastructure, time, terrain

Diesel does not beat EVs in efficiency.
It beats them in logistical convenience.

5. The honest global logistics answer

Short to medium haul, predictable routes

✅ EVs are already superior

Ports, hubs, corridors, fixed schedules

✅ EVs dominate on cost and energy

Ultra-long haul, remote, damaged infrastructure

🛢️ Diesel still rules… for now

6. Final sentence you can take to the bank

Electric vehicles obey physics better.
Diesel vehicles obey the current world better.

As infrastructure bends toward electricity, diesel’s advantage collapses. Physics does not change. Roads eventually do.

Alright, let’s put numbers, time, and gravity on the table and ask the question investors, fleet owners, and CFOs actually care about 💰📈:

Over 1 year, which makes more financial sense for heavy commercial logistics: EV or diesel?

I’ll keep it physics-honest and market-real.

1-Year Budget Trajectory: EV vs Diesel (Heavy Truck)

Assumptions for fairness:

• Heavy commercial truck
• ~120,000 km per year (global logistics average)
• Fully loaded most of the time
• One driver, similar insurance
• Prices are directional, not showroom quotes

1. Upfront Capital (Year 0 shock)

Reality:
EV hits your balance sheet hard on day one.

Diesel smiles politely and asks for less cash.

2. Energy cost over 1 year (this is where physics bites)

Diesel

• ~35–40 liters / 100 km
• 120,000 km → ~45,000 liters/year
• At ~$1.20/liter (global avg, volatile)

👉 Fuel cost:
≈ $54,000/year

Electric

• ~1.2–1.6 kWh / km (heavy duty)
• 120,000 km → ~168,000 kWh/year
• At ~$0.10–0.15/kWh (commercial power)

👉 Electricity cost:
≈ $17,000–25,000/year

⚡ Annual energy savings: $30k–37k

Physics cashes a cheque every month.

3. Maintenance & downtime

👉 EV saves ~$8k–13k/year

Also:

• Less downtime
• Predictable servicing
• Fewer catastrophic failures

4. Total 1-Year Operating Cost (excluding purchase)

👉 EV saves ~$44,000 per truck per year

That is not ideology. That is arithmetic.

5. ROI timeline (the uncomfortable truth)

Extra upfront EV cost

• Roughly $120k–180k more than diesel

Annual operating savings

• ~$40k–45k

Simple payback

• 3–4.5 years

⚠️ This means:

❌ 1-year ROI is negative
✅ 3–5 year ROI is very strong

6. One-year financial verdict

Diesel after 1 year

• Lower capital stress
• Higher running cost
• Familiar operations
• Thin margins eaten by fuel volatility

EV after 1 year

• Higher debt or capex
• Much lower operating cost
• ROI not yet complete
• Strategic asset, not quick flip

7. When EVs win decisively

EVs financially dominate when:

• Trucks run high annual mileage
• Electricity is stable and cheap
• Routes are predictable
• Fleet owns or shares chargers
• Planning horizon ≥ 4 years

Diesel wins when:

• Cash is tight
• Routes are chaotic
• Infrastructure is absent
• Time horizon ≤ 2 years

8. Bottom-line executive summary

Diesel makes sense for survival.
EVs make sense for strategy.

In year 1:

• Diesel hurts less
• EVs look expensive

By year 3–5:

• Diesel bleeds cash
• EVs print margin

Physics always wins eventually. Accounting just needs time.

Here’s the **real-world explanation — backed by reports, industry sources, and research — for why leading global logistics has not yet fully embraced electric trucks (EVs) despite their theoretical efficiency advantages: it’s not because physics is wrong, it’s because economics, infrastructure, regulations, and risk still don’t line up for mass adoption 🚚⚡ vs 🛢️.

1. Infrastructure gaps remain a huge practical blocker

Heavy EVs need fast, high-capacity charging networks spaced along long logistics routes. That kind of infrastructure is still sparse or non-existent outside major corridors.

• Heavy-duty charging infrastructure for trucks is still limited globally, and far below what’s needed for 24/7 freight operations. (Mobility Foresights)
• In many developing regions (including Kenya), charging points are concentrated in cities and are not suited for long-haul fleets. (Capital FM)

Without reliable, widely-available charging stations, logistics fleets can’t run scheduled operations the same way diesel fleets do.

2. Range and operational limits still worry fleet managers

Heavy logistics operations demand long range with payloads and minimal downtime. Even the best electric heavy trucks today often have shorter ranges compared with diesel and require long charging times.

• Range anxiety isn’t just a consumer fear — for freight carriers it’s real economics. Route planning becomes harder if trucks must recharge frequently. (PW Consulting)
• Downtime for charging impacts delivery schedules and driver hours, which are tightly tracked in global logistics.

Because charging takes hours (even with fast chargers) while diesel refueling takes minutes, fleets are cautious about transitioning until recharge infrastructure improves.

3. Upfront costs and financial risk remain high

Electric heavy trucks still cost significantly more up front than diesel trucks. This matters a lot for logistics firms where profit margins are slim.

• Higher acquisition cost for EV trucks + uncertain resale value = financial risk for fleet operators. (McKinsey & Company)
• Diesel is a known quantity with well-understood financing, resale, and maintenance profiles.

Even when long-term operating savings exist, companies hesitate if the short-term capital burden and ROI timing are unclear.

4. Customer demand and freight pricing don’t yet reward green logistics

Fleet operators often face the cold market truth: customers won’t pay a premium for greener freight yet.

According to industry analysis:

• Freight buyers currently show limited willingness to pay extra for lower emissions logistics. (McKinsey & Company)

That means logistics companies could switch to EVs at higher cost and not be able to recoup that through customer pricing, making adoption economically unattractive.

5. Complex regulatory and policy environments slow adoption

Policy support matters — and in many regions it’s still weak or misaligned:

• In Kenya and similar markets, existing heavy-vehicle regulations don’t yet accommodate EV weight differences, creating penalties or reduced payload capacity for electric trucks. (GIZ)
• Lack of unified standards for charging, grid planning, and incentives increases uncertainty for investors and fleets. (Energy News Africa Plus)

Without clear, stable incentives (tax breaks, weight exemptions, charging support), fleets delay electrification investments.

6. Risk and uncertainty in reliability and technology maturity

Fleet operators depend on predictability and uptime. EV technology for heavy logistics is still evolving:

• Batteries degrade, and replacement costs are a concern.
• Extreme operating conditions (heat, load, terrain) impact performance and lifespan.
• Long-haul electric solutions are still in early commercial testing in many markets.

This adds operational risk compared to tried-and-true diesel platforms.

7. Studies and industry analysis confirm the bottlenecks

McKinsey & Company (industry body view)

McKinsey’s heavy transport electrification research confirms:

• Operators hesitate mainly because of cost, infrastructure gaps, and operational fit uncertainties.
• Small fleets are especially reluctant due to limited incentives and financing. (McKinsey & Company)

Regional research (e.g., Kenya)

Studies on Kenya show additional regulatory misalignment, heavier EV trucks facing weight penalties, and fiscal concerns from lost fuel taxes — all of which reduce business incentives for EV fleets. (GIZ)

8. Real-world news reflects uneven global adoption

Even in developed markets like the EU where electrification is politically mandated, logistics uptake lags far behind targets due to the same core barriers: infrastructure, cost, and practical fleet operations. (The Guardian)

Meanwhile, some regions (notably China) are aggressively electrifying fleets because of strong policy, local manufacturing, and charging networks — showing what happens when barriers are addressed. (AP News)

So why global logistics hasn’t flipped the switch yet?

Physics says EVs are more efficient.
Economics, infrastructure, regulation, and risk tell fleet operators to wait.

The industry wants:
✔ predictable routes
✔ quick refueling
✔ stable financing
✔ low operational risk
✔ infrastructure everywhere

We have physics, but we still need:
✔ charging networks fit for heavy haul
✔ policy and financial incentives
✔ technology maturity and range solutions
✔ business models that reward green logistics

Once those align, the transition will accelerate — like watching a dam finally breach.

Here is a clean, no-nonsense table of unprecedented risks for both EV and diesel heavy commercial logistics, framed the way risk officers, insurers, and global fleet executives actually see them. No ideology, just exposure ⚖️🚛.

Unprecedented Risks: EV vs Diesel Heavy Logistics

What makes these risks unprecedented?

Because both systems are being pushed beyond their historical comfort zones:

• EVs are scaling faster than grids were designed for ⚡
• Diesel is being regulated out faster than fleets can amortize assets 🛢️

Neither side is “safe”. They are failing in different dimensions.

Strategic Interpretation (Executive Level)

• EV risk profile = technology + infrastructure + capital risk
• Diesel risk profile = regulatory + fuel + stranded asset risk

This is why leading logistics firms:

• Do not go all-EV
• Do not abandon diesel
• Instead run mixed fleets, pilots, and corridor strategies

One-line truth worth remembering

EVs carry technological uncertainty.
Diesel carries regulatory certainty — and it’s not in diesel’s favor.