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HAWTHORNE, Calif. — The Tesla Semi launched Thursday night to a host of superlatives. It's faster, safer, and cheaper to run than anyone expected. Virtually of all, it will run 500 miles on a single charge, according to Tesla. The battery might take as much as 1 megawatt-hour of free energy, we believe. And with a newer, super-faster Tesla Megacharger arrangement, a trucker tin add 400 miles of range in 30 minutes. The Tesla Semi will go into production in 2022, Tesla claims. No cost was cited, but Musk hammered on the point that no matter what a Tesla Semi costs to buy, it'll clobber diesel trucks on toll per mile to operate.

The Tesla Semi was unveiled at a Hollywood-worthy bash in a private aviation facility next to SpaceX HQ outside Los Angeles. In a Steve Jobs-ian "i more thing" kind of move, CEO Elon Musk made a semi-surprise announcement: Tesla will bring back a new version of its start vehicle, the Tesla Roadster. It will be, of form, the world's fastest car, Musk says, with a 0-60 time of less than 2 seconds.

The Tesla Semi cabin is alpine enough for standing. The driver seat is in the middle, with a bound seat backside and to the side.

Super-Curvy Design, Commuter in the Eye

Tesla put the driver'due south seat right in the middle of the cab, with big touch screens flanking the steering bicycle. Together with integrated telematics, they provide navigation, blind spot monitoring, data logging, routing, scheduling, and remote monitoring, replacing tertiary-party devices required in traditional 18-wheelers. Entry/exit stairs are larger and easier to navigate. In that location is a 2d leap-seat for a co-driver or passenger. Inside, the cab is tall enough for the driver to stand up up and movement effectually. The Tesla Semi prototype is not a sleeper cab design, but it'south likely to exist added.

There will be surround cameras for object detection, autonomous driving, and for forward and backward views to aid the heart-mounted driver see both sides of the truck. Enhanced Autopilot for the Tesla Semi would include lane departure warning and lane go along assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive prowl control, and outcome recording. In the futurity, Tesla Semis can travel in a convoy, where i or more follow the atomic number 82 truck with a commuter. If the convoy snugs upwardly shut, they'll also get meliorate economy.

Tesla projects range at 500 miles. Our rough calculations say it will demand a 750-kWh battery, possibly i,000-kWh — that is, 1 megawatt-hour.

Tesla Semi Has More Range Than Expected

Earlier the unveiling, annotator and media discussion centered on whether a Tesla-electrified Form 8 tractor — "tractor" is the tractor-trailer term for the matter upward forepart with the engine and driver — would become 300, mayhap 400 miles of range because it's hauling 80,000 pounds, versus the 4,500 to 5,500 pounds that a Model South or Model 10 weighs. So information technology was a shocker when Musk said the Tesla Semi would take a 500-mile range.

By coincidence, Tesla notes the vast majority of freight is moved no more than 250 miles, significant that a commuter tin go out 250 miles, drop the load, and come up dorsum without having to recharge. (If that 500-mile projection is solid.) Tesla says:

The biggest immediate cost-advantage comes from savings in energy costs: Fully loaded, the Tesla Semi consumes less than two kilowatt-hours of energy per mile and is capable of 500 miles of range at GVW [gross vehicle weight, virtually 80,000 pounds] and highway speed, accommodating a wide range of shipping applications given that well-nigh 80 percent of freight in the U.Southward. is moved less than 250 miles. Coupled with the depression and stable nature of electricity prices [Tesla says – ed.] – which average $0.12/kWh in the U.Due south. and tin can be significantly less for commercial and industrial users, falling to most nothing when combined with local solar generation and storage – owners tin can await to proceeds $200,000 or more than in savings over a million miles based on fuel costs lone.

The Tesla Semi is also quick. Musk ran off these superlatives: The Tesla Semi will advance from 0-sixty mph in five seconds, past itself, with no trailer. With the trailer and a full eighty,000 pound load, information technology's 20 seconds to hit 60 mph versus virtually a minute for a diesel fuel truck. It will climb a 5 percent form (steeper than it sounds) at 65 mph versus 45 mph for a diesel truck. Overall, Tesla says, "The Semi is more than responsive, covers more miles than a diesel truck in the same amount of time, and more safely integrates with passenger auto traffic."

Regenerative braking  restores 98 percentage of kinetic (moving) free energy to the bombardment pack and provides "basically infinite brake life." The Tesla Semi with its swoopy cab and apartment undercarriage has a 0.36 drag coefficient, less than the $3 million Bugatti Chiron. But note that a drag coefficient doesn't accept in business relationship an object's size, then the Tesla Semi'south total drag will be significantly more than.

The Tesla Semi battery pack is mounted low for a superior eye of gravity. Nosotros estimate it weighs 11,000-15,000 pounds, provides roughly 750 kWh to 1 megawatt-hour of energy.

Battery (of Unknown Capacity) Gives Low Center of Gravity

Here's what we know about the bombardment system: It'due south big, it'southward heavy, and it'due south mounted down depression for an exceptionally depression center of gravity. Every bit for battery capacity, Tesla gave united states a hint: Tesla says the Semi uses "less than ii kilowatt-hours" of energy per mile. Based on vehicle battery packs in use now, we know lithium-ion battery packs of at least 50 kWh counterbalance well-nigh fifteen pounds per 1 kilowatt-hour of stored energy. So if the Tesla Semi uses 1.5 kWh per mile and travels 500 miles, that means the battery is 750 kWh and weighs xi,250 pounds. If consumption is closer to ii.0 kWh per mile, the bombardment at is as much equally ane,000 kWh — ane megawatt-hour — and 15,000 pounds.

Maybe Tesla will find some economies of scale, but the weight of the Tesla Semi is going to include at to the lowest degree five tons of lithium-ion batteries. In comparison, a 6 mpg diesel tractor-trailer would use about 600 pounds of fuel on a 500-mile trip. Long-haul tractors carry enough fuel to become at least one,000 miles, or 2-plus days of driving, with 250-gallon fuel tanks (1,700 pounds).

Past mounting the batteries low, the solid mass of the battery pack(s) help make the truck even more trounce-proof in an accident.

For the Tesla Semi, at that place will be a new charging device called the Megacharger that should exist more powerful than the current Superchargers. The Tesla Semi will accept 5X to 10X the battery chapters of a Tesla automobile.

The centrally located driver'south seat is flanked by a pair of LCD screens from the Tesla Model 3.

Total Cost of Ownership Should Be Lower

For the truck owner, cost of ownership is paramount. Musk says diesel trucks volition cost 20 pct more to operate, $1.51 per mile vs. $1.26 per mile for the Semi. (The IRS calculates a passenger auto costs 54 cents per mile to operate.) Tesla didn't break out the underlying math so we don't know how much of the claimed advantage is because of low commercial electricity rates and/or solar that would take electricity costs "falling to almost zilch."

Tesla also points out there a fewer moving parts: 4 Tesla Model 3-derived motors driving the tractor's four rear bike-sets simply no engine, manual, differential or diesel fuel-exhaust after-treatment system to maintain.

Tesla says the battery pack is designed to back up 1 one thousand thousand miles of charging cycles – 2,000 cycles if you charge every 500 miles, 5,000 cycles if you charge every 200 miles – and the drive motors are besides designed to run 1 million miles.

As with the Model 3, fans of the Tesla Semi can place a deposit – $five,000 downwardly – against a purchase price that Tesla didn't announce and a delivery date said to be in 2022. In that location are most 4 1000000 big Class 8 tractors on the market now, with a quarter-million new tractors sold each yr. 98 percent are diesel and most of the rest run on compressed natural gas.

Tesla Semis with Autopilot could travel in a convoy, with a commuter only in the first truck. If they run close together, air current resistance drops and the cost, Elon Musk says, might be effectually 85 cents per mile, competitive with train freight.

Reality Check: What Others Are Saying

Early on feedback from analysts and commentators was: Squeamish thought, but an electrical truck is probably best for local deliveries. Then range is no effect, and Tesla wins points for emitting zero emissions in major cities that have air pollution problems. The Port of Long Beach, California, for example, wants to phase out diesel trucks on site in favor of compressed natural gas trucks and somewhen EVs.

The Diesel Engineering science Form chop-chop chimed in. Executive director Allen Schaeffer said in a statement:

Aspirations and predictions for new fuels and technologies are high, but must be evaluated in the context of reality. Diesel fuel is the most energy efficient internal combustion engine. It has accomplished authority as the technology of choice in the trucking industry over many decades and challenges from many other fuel types. … diesel offers a unique combination of unmatched features: proven fuel efficiency, economical functioning, power, reliability, durability, availability, easy access to fueling and service facilities, and now nigh-zip emissions performance.

"Diesel fuel technology is not standing notwithstanding …. From coupling with hybrid-electric technology and bombardment storage systems, to pushing thermal efficiency boundaries, to utilizing 100 percentage non-petroleum bio-based diesel fuels, the new generation of clean diesel ability is office of a sustainable future.

We all benefit from a more efficient freight system. Fuel and powertrain choices are one office of that. The greatest opportunity for efficiency gains, fuel savings, lower greenhouse gas emissions and cleaner air – now – is to go more truckers into the newest generation of more fuel efficient and near-zero emissions clean diesel technology, equally chop-chop as possible.

Trucking and stock market analysts say Musk is the well-nigh likely person to shift the trucking industry in the direction of electric vehicles. But the rollout couldn't have come at a worse fourth dimension for Tesla, with Model 3 production lagging, labor feuds in the factory, and fiscal concerns. In that location's also no place to build the Tesla Semi, since the Fremont factory is pretty much at capacity.

As challenging, Tesla has to build out a new megacharger filigree, each charger using several times as much electricity every bit a Supercharger, which delivers 145 kW divide between two vehicles, with a maximum of 120 kW per car. Could each megacharger want 500 kW to share among ii trucks?

Anton Wahlman, an analyst with Seeking Alpha (who is shorting Tesla stock), wrote, "If you are going to charge such a truck to 80 percent in 30 minutes, God help the electricity grid. Information technology will be similar plugging in a pocket-sized city to the grid at that particular interstate remainder-cease. Can you spell brownouts? — no, make that blackouts." Wahlman also said prospective buyers desire to know in advance well-nigh Tesla Semi immovability and so, betwixt no clear mill location and the need to test, 2022 is more probable as a delivery appointment than 2022.

Tesla is not alone in the electrical truck space. Others involved with lower-profiles, include Daimler and Volkswagen, diesel fuel engine maker Cummins, and a Einride of Sweden prototyping a driverless electrical truck.