Although it is just beginning its journey in the United States, the Tesla Semi seems to satisfy its first customers. The American outlet Motortrend got into Elon Musk’s electric truck and had a long talk with the drivers. And one point that keeps its promises is in particular the ultra-fast charge, thanks to the Megachargers developed by the American brand.
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We’ve been hearing about the Tesla Semi for several years. And for good reason, it was first mentioned in Elon Musk’s Master Plan in July 2016. Six years later, the first examples of the electric truck were finally delivered to its owner, namely the American group PepsiCo. A climax for the brand, which had already postponed its launch several times in recent years. The American journalists of the site. engine trend They were able to board Tesla’s electric truck, here are their photos.
colossal numbers
Thus, during a grand ceremony, the keys to several trucks were handed over to the PepsiCo company, owner in particular of Pepsi or even Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of the holding company. Doritos, Cheetos and Lays Crisps. It is precisely these two companies that received their copies, already in circulation and that journalists had the opportunity to discover in real life.
Thus, the American journalists were able to address the Tesla Semi in particular, but also learn more about the recharging of the latter, a point that has caused a lot of ink to flow. In fact, Elon Musk’s company announced a passage from 10 to 80% in just 30 minutes. Very little time given the incredible capacity of the battery, around 900 kWh.
The gross value could be around 900 kWh, depending on the advertised consumption of only 1.7 kWh per mile, or the equivalent of 105 kWh / 100 km. A capacity that would allow the electric truck to travel up to 800 kilometers without refueling, with a load of 37 tons. An incredible figure, which PepsiCo has not yet tested at the moment, since the journeys are actually shorter.
But does the Semi really keep all of its promises in actual use? Well, that’s how it seems according to his first client, that he seems very satisfied. engine trend was able to discover the Frito-Lay facility, which consists of four Superchargers, or rather Megachargers, capable of delivering up to 1 MW, or the equivalent of 1,000 kW. But what about in real life?
very fast charging
In fact, the terminals installed by the company currently deliver a maximum of 750 kW, which still far exceeds the 250 kW Superchargers currently available to the general public. Subsequently, for electric cars, a 350 kW V4 version will also be deployed, equipped in particular with solar panels and a battery capable of storing the energy thus recovered. By way of comparison, in China, the local Geely group is working on the deployment of 600 kW terminals so that cars can recharge the latest in 10 minutes.
Frito-Lay then explains that it is capable of filling an almost empty battery up to 70% (equivalent to 5 to 80%) in just half an hour, which then allows to recover 400 miles of autonomy, or about 643 kilometers. A figure that most likely corresponds to the American EPA cycle, which is more pessimistic than our European WLTP. It takes a total of 90 minutes to reach 100%. Which is much more than in the fastest cars, which require around an hour for this exercise.
By comparison, today’s fastest-charging electric cars (the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5) claim 18 minutes on the 10-80% run and around 20-25 minutes on the 5-80% run. They carry a battery 10 times smaller than the Tesla Semi. As for the more “classic” electric trucks, Renault is limited to 250 kW for 2.5 hours of recharging, a power similar to that of Volvo, with around 1 hour to go from 20 to 90% with 376 kWh batteries. . In Europe, the first charging network dedicated to trucks is limited to 300 kW.
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
At the level of autonomy, we can see in one of the photos the calculation of a 530 km journey (6h12 trip) between Modesto and Los Angeles. The truck, recharged to 96%, predicts an arrival at its destination with a 4% battery. However, the system recommends not to exceed 65 mph (104 km/h). The route consists of a 2×2 lane and then a hilly road that reaches Los Angeles. Are we in the presence of the version with a range of 500 km? If not, the prediction of this route is strange, since Tesla had demonstrated it for 800 km.
Another explanation may come from the route planner. This may not take truck speed limits into account. In fact, in California, these can’t exceed 55 mph (88 km/h), even on highways or highways. Being limited to 70 mph (112 km/h), the difference in autonomy could be explained in this way.
A truck that drives like a car.
Motortrend was also able to take a seat on board this Semi, to discover a spacious driving position equipped with two large screens, which remind us in particular of the Model 3. These include many features present in the vehicles of the range. ., but they are not equipped with specific software for professionals, as Rivian offers, for example, in its van designed for Amazon delivery people.
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
Semi Tesla // Source: Motortrend
According to drivers interviewed during the visit, the Tesla Semi “drives like a car.” And indeed, the cockpit looks a lot like a Tesla.
As a reminder, the electric truck has a three-motor drivetrain identical to that of the Tesla Model S Plaid, the full power of which has not been disclosed by Elon Musk. However, we know that it is possible to reduce energy consumption shut down up to two engines in certain situations, such as driving on the highway at a constant speed. The price of the machine has not been publicly disclosed at this time.
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