Tesla To Begin Mass Production Of Its Semi Truck This Year

Tesla will start mass production of the semi-electric truck this year and begin deliveries to customers. Let’s remind you, almost ten years have passed since Sammy was introduced.

Tesla has revealed the final specifications of the production version of the Semi truck, which will be available in two variants, namely Standard Range and Long Range. Both are designed for a gross vehicle weight of up to 37.2 tons and are equipped with a drive unit with three engines with a power of 800 kW, i.e., 1,072 hp.

The Tesla Semi Standard Range has a range of up to 523 km with a full load. The own weight of the tug is about 9 tons, and the carrying capacity is about 28 tons. Energy consumption is 1.7 kWh per mile. Fast charging according to the Megawatt Charging System (MCS 3.2) standard enables the battery to be charged to 60 percent capacity in 30 minutes with a peak power of up to 1.2 MW. An ePTO of up to 25 kW is also provided for the operation of auxiliary equipment.

The long-range version is designed for a range of 805 km on a single battery charge. With the same energy consumption, this indicates a battery capacity of around 900 kWh, although Tesla does not officially disclose this parameter. Due to the larger battery, the weight of the vehicle increased to 10.5 tons, and the payload was reduced to 26.7 tons. The charging and ePTO parameters are the same for both versions.

Limited production of Tesla Semi trucks began at the end of 2022, and PepsiCo received the first trucks as part of the pilot project. Later, additional vehicles were delivered to Walmart and DHL Supply Chain.

Tesla is not yet disclosing pricing. For reference, in 2017, the company promised $150,000 for the 483 km range version and $180,000 for the 805 km range version. However, the price seems to have risen significantly over the years. Indirect confirmation came in the form of Ryder’s move, which reduced the order from 42 to 18 trucks while maintaining the total budget of 7.5 million dollars.

• Also See: Tesla To Stop Model X And S EVs This Year