Tesla Semi (2023). The electric truck has finally gone on sale in the US
Introduced more than five years ago, the first Tesla heavy-duty truck was supposed to hit the market in 2019. We had to wait until the end of 2022 to see the first parts delivered across the Atlantic and discover the great features of this electric truck.
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More than five years passed between the introduction of the Tesla Semi in 2017 and the actual marketing of this electric truck at the end of 2022.
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“I can’t believe it was five years ago. » This little sentence was uttered by Elon Musk at the opening of the “Semi Delivery Event”, organized to celebrate the first deliveries of the Tesla Semi. The American brand boss was referring here to the time between the first introduction of its heavyweight and its actual marketing. A seemingly endless delay when production was supposed to start in 2019. The appearance of this behemoth has not changed much during this time. Some minor changes are evident, such as the arrival of real mirrors. This is a commitment for the American version, the first to be marketed, because the mirrors cannot yet be replaced by cameras across the Atlantic. But the general appearance did not change. That’s how Tesla keeps Sam rather curvaceous and graceful silhouette, with a face without grille. In this way, it manages to evoke the manufacturer’s cars like the Model 3 or the Model Y, while being radically different from its competitors. Including the cabin, it is almost devoid of buttons. Most functions are controlled via two 15-inch touchscreens that surround the driver.
Five years after its introduction, the Tesla Semi hasn’t evolved much. Visually, it still differs from its competitors.
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The 2017 Tesla Semi already had a look close to the series, but it replaced the mirrors with cameras, which were banned in the United States.
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Like the exterior, the interior is reminiscent of the brand’s cars. But there are two 15-inch screens surrounding the driver.
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Tesla compares the aerodynamics of this monster to a bullet from a gun.
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The Tesla lineup now includes four car models and one truck. The Cybertruck pickup truck and the autonomous robot taxi have yet to arrive.
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Paris-Marseille without recharging
The unusual appearance of the cabin does not come for free. It will also optimize aerodynamics. The manufacturer claims that it is intended for the truck “Like a bullet, not like a warehouse wall”. That would average just under 2kW per mile, or about 124kWh per 100km. Even if this figure seems huge compared to the figure of a classic 100% electric car, which travels at a speed of less than 20 kWh per 100 km, it should be considered in perspective. Here we are talking about a machine that can tow 37 t, which inevitably increases consumption. As usual with Tesla, the battery capacity is not reported. But it would be enough Let this Semi go 500 miles in one trip with its load, which is more than 800 km. It is enough to connect Paris to Marseille without refueling.
A simple calculation shows that this battery has an energy of about 1000 kWh. Obviously a big number when you consider that few private cars today exceed 100kWh! The Long Haul version of the rival Mercedes eActros is content with 600 kWh of energy, which provides about 500 km of autonomy. Thanks to the electrified trailer system, the radius of movement can be increased up to 800 km in the star brand.
Powerful new superloaders
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Thanks to the V4 compressors, the Semi would be able to recover 70% of its autonomy in just 30 minutes.
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A battery this large isn’t just a weight or manufacturing issue. The time required to fill it can also be prohibitive. Therefore, Tesla has developed a new version of its famous compressors, the fourth since the beginning of this network of fast terminals. Equipped with a new cooling system to keep the cables at a reasonable size, this V4 advertises a charging power of up to 1 megawatt, or one million watts. We are a long way from 250 kW V3 superchargers. For comparison, let’s note that today the most powerful stations in France have a capacity of 360 kW. Thus, the Semi would be able to recover 70% of its autonomy within 30 minutes. Elon Musk used the event to announce that his Cybertruck pickup, another Arlesian, will also be equipped with 1000V charging and will be compatible with these new terminals. On the other hand, current models are far from accepting such a charging power.
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The fourth version of Tesla’s superchargers will be able to transmit up to 1 megawatt of electricity through cables incorporating a liquid cooling system.
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“The elephant turned into a cheetah”
Tesla forces, this Sam also wants to be fast in a straight line. Thanks to three electric motors, it promises three times the power of a conventional diesel truck! As reported from the 2017 launch, 0 to 96 km/h takes just 20 seconds, even with a trailer loaded.
It’s like an elephant moving like a cheetah, laughs Elon Musk.
But above all, what interests drivers is the possibility of losing speed less than usual during steep climbs. The absence of a gearbox to manage and a sufficiently powerful regenerative brake are also superior to thermal semi-trailers. Same as usage costs: Based on prices applicable in California, Tesla announces fuel savings of no less than $200,000 over the first three years. Is it enough to make you forget about the purchase invoice, which is definitely higher? It’s hard to know because the brand hasn’t revealed the price of its latest big baby, whose arrival date in France is unknown. Only the Pepsi companies and its subsidiary Frito-Lay, the first to deliver across the Atlantic, may be able to tell us more.
The Semi has the same tri-motor system and carbon sleeve rotors as the Plaid. 1 unit for efficiency, 2 acceleration units for torque pic.twitter.com/MDn4cj0jzO
-Tesla (@Tesla) December 2, 2022
Under the cab are three electric motors and a huge battery. As usual, Tesla did not reveal their specifications.
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According to Tesla, heavy trucks account for only 1% of vehicles in the United States, but 20% of CO2 emissions and even 36% of fine particulate emissions.
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The fourth version of Tesla’s superchargers will be able to transmit up to 1 megawatt of electricity through cables incorporating a liquid cooling system.
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Pepsi and its subsidiary Frito-Lay agri-food company bought the first copies of this electric heavyweight across the Atlantic.
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