Tesla began shipping its Semi model to PepsiCo yesterday, marking the first model to go out to a customer and the beginning of the shipments that will eventually start fulfilling all other pre-orders. It only includes a single model but it’s a step in the right direction for Tesla.
The new Semi is a few years behind schedule, which doesn’t give the company much of a headstart as other companies like Nikola have already managed to get themselves this far as well. However, it still guarantees Tesla a position of “one of the first” to the table for the shipping industry, and its pre-order list is strong.
With around a 900 kWh battery pack, the new trucks are capable of traveling up to 500 miles with up to an 82,000lb load in the trailer. It can accelerate much quicker than diesel models since it lacks a transmission and offers nothing but continuous torque (like other EV models). You won’t have to worry about these trucks holding back traffic when they pass the other trucks on the road, which will be nice for those traveling between cities.
Elon Musk (Tesla CEO) unveiled the release of the Semi during an event that was held at Tesla’s Nevada facility. Not only will the Semi be in full production next year, but Tesla also unveiled the next generation of Supercharging that is capable of charging up to 1MW (megawatt). This will allow the Semi trucks to charge much quicker than current charging stations can deliver.
So you will finally start to see these trucks driving down the road soon. By the end of next year, this sight will likely become a bit more common in most major cities or travel routes. For now, the world will still have to wait until full production begins to roll out additional models to customers.
