2018 is not that far away...
All non-electric fuels will probably eventually be replaced by electricity (if not for other reasons) because electricity is the only fuel that will be delivered
while-you-drive.
And while we may see the first large-scale kWh deliveries in freeway right lanes with trucks, I expect that we soon after will also see it in the high-speed (autonomous) left lane.
Batteries of modest capacities will still be in the vehicles of course, for regenerative braking, local driving, and for the final miles to your destination after you leave the
chargeway.
Electric Trucking Charges Up
In a pilot project, vehicles equipped with ‘receiving coils’ will draw power from another coil buried in the road in Colorado
Officials in Colorado are planning a public-road test of battery-charging technology capable of powering electric trucks while they drive.
In the pilot project, believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S., vehicles equipped with “receiving coils” will draw power from another coil buried in the road. The Colorado Transportation Department and infrastructure developer Aecom Inc. are scouting potential sites, including busy roads near Denver International Airport, with a goal of launching in 2018.
Heavy-duty electric trucks remain a rare sight on highways, in part because they need to make frequent stops to recharge and must carry heavy, expensive batteries. The pilot’s developers say their goal is to extend the distances electric trucks can drive and reduce the bulkiness of in-vehicle batteries...
http://www.wsj.com/articles/electric-trucking-charges-up-1481212800