Tesla has finally made its entrance in the heavy vehicle market with a flashy media event where it delivered Pepsi Co with its first electric Semi.
Tesla has finally delivered its first electric semi-truck model, known as the Tesla Semi, to US soft drink company Pepsi. The truck’s production suffered from many delays since it as first announced over five years ago.
The keys were handed over at a media event at one of Tesla’s factories in Nevada. Prior to the handover the truck had completed a real-world test run to demonstrate its range capability, driving 800km on a single charge from Seamount to San Diego. To prove the validity of its test Tesla has uploaded a timelapse of the full eight-hour drive.
“I can’t believe it’s been five years,” says Elon Musk CEO of Tesla Motors.
“A lot has happened in the world but here we are. It drives like a Tesla. If you’re a truck driver, and you want the most badass rig on the road, this is it.”
“This is fantastic,” says PepsiCo Foods North American CEO Steven Williams.
“We’re thrilled.”
The Semi’s first cargo run for PepsiCo was delivering a load of Frito-Lay chips to the launch event. Musk state too that Tesla themselves will use the trucks to transport cargo between its factories.
Musk says the trucks performance from its electric drivetrain bests diesel trucks in power and efficiency.
“You can pull 37 tonnes at cruise, and the only thing that’s doing it is a tiny little motor on one axle,” says Musk.
“Just that one little guy is more powerful than a regular diesel engine on a semi-truck.”
The Tesla Semi has boasted some very competitive specs since it was first announced over five years ago. These include not only a range much longer than any other electric truck currently on the market (800km) but also very powerful acceleration and torque.
Tesla has yet to disclose any hard details of the truck, particularly its weight; which will most likely be the number operators will be most interested in so they might understand the sort of pay loads it’s likely to be able to pull.
Tesla’s website claims the truck can go from 0 to 100km/ph. in just 20 seconds, consumes 2 kWh per 1.6kms, and can fast charge 70 per cent of its battery in 30 minutes – with Tesla’s custom mega charger.
The truck is powered by three engines, one “cruising” engine that is always engaged, and two other engines for torque and acceleration. Musk maintains the three engines help the truck to drive exactly like a car, accelerating up grades of up to 6% at maximum speed.
During the event Tesla showed video footage from the test drive of the Semi overtaking a diesel truck on a steep incline with ease.
Still, the manufacturer has left its audiences with many unanswered questions. The most pressing being the release price of the truck. Back in 2017 it was stated to be around $US 200,000.
Tesla claims operators can save nearly $300,000 in fuel costs over three years with the truck. Whether this will even be enough to offset the initial cost of the truck remains to be seen.
Other details of the trucks drivetrain and internals were not addressed either. Neither were any advanced safety features such as Tesla’s autopilot system that is a feature of its car models.
Musk and Tesla Truck Engineering Senior Manager Dan Priestley did speak on the truck’s cabin, claiming it was very roomy for just a day cab. Tesla will presumably not offer any sleeper cab models. Though the truck has only one seat in the front – perhaps for aerodynamics – it is tall enough to stand up in and there is ample room behind the seat.
For all its flashy marketing and big claims on performance only time will tell how viable the truck is for real world operators, not to mention Australian conditions and regulations.