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Home » Latest » Tesla » Tesla Semi: Everything we know in September 2024 [Update]
Update (September 2, 2024): ‘Large order book’ sub-section of ‘Production’ updated and ‘Tesla Semi in Europe’ added.
Tesla has revolutionized the global electric mobility movement with its quirky and efficient passenger vehicles. In November 2017, Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk announced plans to enter the commercial transport industry with the Tesla Semi electric truck. On December 1, 2022, after many hiccups and delays, Tesla finally kicked off deliveries of the Semi in the United States.
The Semi is not just any truck; it''s a zero-emissions freight-hauling cargo machine that trumps traditional oil guzzlers on all fronts like range, economy, operational costs, and performance. Here''s everything we know about the Tesla Semi as of today:
There''s a unique cab construction for the Tesla Semi and arguably the cleanest design we have seen on a truck. It appears as if it belongs to the future. There''s a massive wraparound glass area upfront that slopes into the frunk. The glass area is so large, that its panels extend to the doors. Tesla dropped door mirrors on the Semi for aerodynamic benefits. Instead, cameras positioned at the extreme rear send a feed to the interior screens. However, it’s not carrying that feature into production, as seen in the new official pictures used in this story.
Musk made significant claims about the aerodynamic capabilities of the Tesla Semi, explaining its smooth surfacing and clean overall design.
The truck is designed like a bullet. The Tesla Semi has a 0.36 drag coefficient. Better than the Bugatti Chiron, which has a 0.38 coefficient of drag. The aerodynamics help it achieve an incredible range.
Most pictures we have seen of the Tesla Semi consist of the trucks finished in an all-white or silver shade. Not the least bit drab, but within expectations. However, Frito-Lay has been using its Semi in and around California, and its paint scheme is anything but ordinary. Video footage of these big boys driving around Modesto, California, has cropped up on the Tesla Owners Silicon Valley Twitter page.
Painted in the brand''s popular bright red and yellow livery, these trucks sport an enlarged “Frito-Lay” font printed at the front, just above the massive windscreen. There''s more company branding printed just aft of the driver''s cab area, while the company''s famous Chester Cheetah mascot has been painted onto the trailer for increased visibility.
Then we have footage posted by Reddit user Tutrifor, showing a PepsiCo-branded Semi where we can see the Pepsi logo at the front, with a couple more presented on either side of the main cab. The livery comprises the company''s easily recognizable hues of blue. The trailer also sports shades of blue, plus some ''feel-good'' slogans on each side to really drive home the point of these massive electric vehicles. Both of these Tesla Semis are eye-catching, to say the least.
The Tesla Semi has a Day Cab that usually allows a shorter and lighter body compared to a Sleeper Cab, leading to lower energy consumption. In a Jay Leno’s Garage episode (via ) that premiered on October 2, 2023, Dan Priestley, Senior Manager – Semi Truck Engineering, Tesla, said that Tesla will release a Semi with a sleeper cab when it expands the charging network.
Tesla has launched the Semi with a tri-motor powertrain. A quad-motor powertrain option will likely become available later. Reports say the Semi’s battery pack, positioned under the cabin floor, has an energy storage capacity of 850-1,000 kWh, enough to power ten units of Tesla Model X! Tesla typically doesn’t disclose the battery pack capacity of its EVs, and it’s the same case with the Semi.
Tesla thinks switching from a 400-volt architecture to an 800-volt architecture for midsize and smaller models like the Model 3, Model Y, and Tesla RoboTaxi would be costly. However, the higher system voltage makes sense for larger applications like the Cybertruck and Semi, Baglino said during the company''s Q1 2022 earnings conference call on April 20, 2022.
On bigger EVs, where there''s a requirement for higher charging power, higher power from the battery to power the power electronics, or more torque, enough semiconductor savings are possible by opting for 800 volts instead of the usual 400 volts, Baglino explained. In addition to consistent high performance and reduced charging time, an 800-volt system would reduce the weight and installation space of the cabling.
In the case of the Semi, Tesla has gone for not even 800, but 1,000 volts! The Class 8 truck is the company’s first model with a four-digit operating voltage. “There''ll be more vehicles coming with that (1,000 volts),” Priestley said during the Semi delivery event.
Tesla hasn’t revealed the power or torque figures. However, we know that electric vehicles develop a wealth of torque, so we expect the Semi’s powertrains to produce four-digit torque figures. In the Jay Leno’s Garage episode, Priestley said that the Semi’s powertrain has about 1,500 system horsepower, but Tesla limits the power that goes to the wheels to increase range. Additionally, Priestley indicated that reducing some of that high-end power improves the life of the Semi’s tires.
Tesla uses the tri-motor powertrain of the Model S Plaid and Model X Plaid in the Semi. This powertrain consists of a Highway Drive Unit (efficiency motor) mounted on one axle and two Acceleration Drive Units (performance motor) mounted on the other axle.
The Highway Drive Unit is constantly engaged, and the Acceleration Drive Units engage only when needed, ensuring maximum efficiency. Speaking of efficiency, the tri-motor Semi consumes less than 2 kWh per mile. That’s when it’s fully loaded at 82,000 lbs. (gross). On August 2, 2023, Dejan Antunović, Electrification Program Manager, PepsiCo, said that (via Vimeo) the company has been able to run its Tesla Semis at less than 1.7 kWh per mile for the past several months.
A fully loaded, tri-motor Semi at 82,000 lbs. gross combination weight takes 20 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. It can attain highway speeds up a 5% gradient. During the Semi delivery event, Tesla showed a video of a fully-loaded tri-motor Semi (82,000 lbs.) easily speeding up and overtaking a regular semi on the Donner Pass at a 6% incline.
A Semi quad-motor with 80,000 lbs. also takes 20 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. Without the payload, the Semi quad-motor could accelerate like a mid-range sports car with a 0-60 mph time of just around 5 seconds. According to the brand''s presentation, a regular diesel truck takes 15 seconds. Moreover, the Semi quad-motor can drive up to speeds of 60 mph up a 5% gradient.
There''s no doubt that the Semi will make the job of truckers considerably easier and less stressful. Drivers new to the profession may learn quicker and with less effort than in a conventional, diesel-powered semi. On October 30, 2022, X user HinrichsZane posted a video showing a Semi quickly accelerating after gradually stopping and turning at a roundabout in Silver Springs (Nevada).
When Jay Leno drove the Tesla Semi (without a trailer), he felt that “it doesn’t feel clumsy or unwieldy.” The driver doesn’t get the feeling of being in some huge truck, he added. Priestly told him that the turning radius of the Tesla Semi is about the same as the Model 3 or Model Y, which makes it easy to maneuver in urban areas. Further into the drive, while changing the lane, Leno said that the electric semi truck felt quite nimble.
Towards the end of the drive, Leno did some hauling with the Tesla Semi, transporting a low-roof Tesla Semi on a trailer. He said that he didn’t feel like he was pulling anything. “We’re pushing a good load back there – 60-70,000 pounds gross vehicle weight,” Priestly said in response.
For truckers, the range would be a primary concern. Tesla has addressed range anxiety comprehensively. There are versions of the Semi, one that provides 300 miles of range and one that delivers 500 miles. Tesla is first shipping the 500-mile Semi. The timelapse video embedded below shows a fully loaded (82k lbs. gross), tri-motor Semi driving 500 miles on a full charge:
Video Source: /Tesla
The claimed figure seems more than adequate given the United States'' rules for truckers. In the USA, truck drivers are legally required to take a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving, according to the United States Department of Transportation. 400 miles is the distance truckers typically cover in 8 hours, approximately, according to Tesla.
North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) is conducting a ''Run on Less – Electric DEPOT'' event with 21 electric trucks, including three Tesla Semis, from September 11 through 30. It is tracking the activity of these trucks and also looking at their total depot electric energy and fuel per day to know the electrical energy consumption equivalent. The Tesla Semis are being tracked in heavy-load long-haul transport operations at PepsiCo''s Sacramento, California depot.
One of the Tesla Semis covered a combined distance of nearly 1,700 miles during 48 hours during the event. On day 10 (via NACFE), truck #1 conducted four deliveries and traveled a distance of 841 miles, with 91% of the road driven at 50+ mph. It spent 70.4% of the time on the road and 7.7% of the time charging. On day 11 (via NACFE), the number of deliveries went down to three but the distance traveled was longer –853 miles, with 91.5% of the route covered at 50+ mph. 68% of the time went in driving, and only 5.57% in charging. While we’re yet to get the complete results as the event is yet to finish, it’s not hard to tell how practical the Semi is in the real world.
On April 3, 2023, Tesla released Part 3 of its Master Plan long-term strategy. The company indicated that the 300-mile range of the Semi will use a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack instead of a high-nickel Lithium-ion battery pack, with an energy storage capacity of 500 kWh. The company anticipates cumulative global sales of 6.7 million units for this ''Semi Light'' over a lifetime.
The Tesla Semi has a massive battery pack that requires more charging time and faster-charging speeds. However, Tesla has a solution—Megachargers. For long-distance journeys to be sustainable for truckers, the brand is building a network of Megachargers at trucking rest stops across the U.S. and Europe, as revealed in itsImpact Report 2020. Since the report is over a year old, we wonder how far Tesla has come with the Megacharger network.
The Semi supports charging at 1 megawatt, which is insane compared to current electric vehicle charging rate standards! Charging on direct current at a Tesla Megacharger to 70% SoC takes just 30 minutes, which is enough for the driver to take a short break and refresh but not unnecessarily long. However, no motoring journalists or range-testing organizations have reviewed the Semi to verify the claim.
There''s an 11-hour driving limit and a 14-hour duty limit in the USA, including non-driving activities like unloading the cargo. Truck drivers are also required to take 34 hours of rest at the end of every working week. If the carriers don''t comply with these rules, driving privileges can be revoked, penalties are charged, and the carrier’s safety rating suffers.
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