It's official – Tesla has started customer deliveries of the highly anticipated Tesla Semi truck! On Thursday, the first customer, Pepsi, received their 100 Tesla Semis. Other customers, such as Budweiser and Walmart, have also placed orders for the electric Class 8 truck.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to the stage at the company's plant in Reno, Nevada to confirm more specs for the Semi. We were also presented with a video that shows a Tesla Semi allegedly driving 500 miles on one charge, with a gross weight of 81,000 pounds. Although Tesla didn't disclose the weight of the cargo, the Semi was shown to have a tri-motor powertrain, with a single motor at one rear axle and two more motors at a second rear axle. Tesla boasts that the power is three times that of any comparable diesel truck on the market.
The Semi has impressive performance figures, including 0-60 mph acceleration in 20 seconds with a maximum 82,000-pound gross weight, and 0-60 mph acceleration in just 5 seconds without a load. Tesla also said the Semi can travel a mile using less than 2 kwh of electricity.
To charge the Semi, Tesla is introducing their one-megawatt charger (1,000 kw) to their Supercharger stations in the coming year. This charger is also compatible with the upcoming Cybertruck pickup truck.
Production of the Semi was originally due to start in 2019, but Tesla had to prioritize Model Y production in Austin due to limited availability of battery cells and other supply-chain issues. Established truck manufacturers like Daimler Trucks and Volvo Trucks have already launched electric trucks, including Class 8 trucks.
Tesla started accepting reservations for the Semi in May and started requesting a $20,000 deposit in August, at which point reservations were closed. The trucks were originally priced at $150,000 for a 300-mile model and $180,000 for a 500-mile model – so if you want one, prepare to shell out some serious dough!
We can't wait to see how the Tesla Semi will revolutionize the trucking industry!