Photo: Tesla
Tesla has revamped the Semi truck’s landing page on its website with new information, images, and videos. Unfortunately, the EV company no longer accepts reservations, with only a “get updates” button available.
Elon Musk recently confirmed that the Tesla Semi with 500 miles (805 km) of range would start shipping this year, with the 300-mile (483-km) version available later. Although skeptics still doubt the Semi will begin deliveries this year, it appears that some things are indeed in motion for the Semi’s commercial launch.
For once, the Tesla website has been updated with fresh info about the Semi truck, as well as images and videos, including from the cabin. On the other hand, Tesla is not accepting any more reservations for the coveted truck that is expected to change the trucking industry forever. This could be for several reasons, the most probable being that it already has more orders than it could deliver in a reasonable time.
A CGI video from inside the cabin shows a slightly different layout than before, as well as bigger screens and rear-view cameras. Although the Semi still retains the huge side mirrors, these are doubled by cameras displaying images on the two screens. We could only speculate that Tesla Semi might fold its side mirrors at speed to conserve energy while relying on cameras to watch its surroundings. Rear-view cameras are still not road-legal in the U.S., although this might change, as with adaptive headlights.
Another interesting piece of information is that Tesla now lists the Semi as having three electric motors instead of the four as before. Despite this downgrade, Tesla still promises a 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time of 20 seconds when fully loaded. The truck should also maintain highway-level speeds, even up steep grades.
When it comes to charging, Tesla says it can recover 70% of range in 30 minutes using Tesla’s Semi Chargers. This is utterly impressive considering that the range (500 miles) and energy consumption (2 kWh per mile) point to 1 MWh of battery capacity. Rough calculations show that the Semi Chargers need 1.5 MW of power for that performance.
The interior shot confirms that Tesla Semi has a central driving position, which is slightly unusual. The typical driver position is closer to the center of the road to allow a better view when overtaking other vehicles. With a central position, the Semi must be geared at highway traffic 100% of the time. Or it will force the driver to steer the truck blindly over the opposite lane to see if an overtake is possible.
For once, the Tesla website has been updated with fresh info about the Semi truck, as well as images and videos, including from the cabin. On the other hand, Tesla is not accepting any more reservations for the coveted truck that is expected to change the trucking industry forever. This could be for several reasons, the most probable being that it already has more orders than it could deliver in a reasonable time.
A CGI video from inside the cabin shows a slightly different layout than before, as well as bigger screens and rear-view cameras. Although the Semi still retains the huge side mirrors, these are doubled by cameras displaying images on the two screens. We could only speculate that Tesla Semi might fold its side mirrors at speed to conserve energy while relying on cameras to watch its surroundings. Rear-view cameras are still not road-legal in the U.S., although this might change, as with adaptive headlights.
Another interesting piece of information is that Tesla now lists the Semi as having three electric motors instead of the four as before. Despite this downgrade, Tesla still promises a 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) time of 20 seconds when fully loaded. The truck should also maintain highway-level speeds, even up steep grades.
When it comes to charging, Tesla says it can recover 70% of range in 30 minutes using Tesla’s Semi Chargers. This is utterly impressive considering that the range (500 miles) and energy consumption (2 kWh per mile) point to 1 MWh of battery capacity. Rough calculations show that the Semi Chargers need 1.5 MW of power for that performance.
The interior shot confirms that Tesla Semi has a central driving position, which is slightly unusual. The typical driver position is closer to the center of the road to allow a better view when overtaking other vehicles. With a central position, the Semi must be geared at highway traffic 100% of the time. Or it will force the driver to steer the truck blindly over the opposite lane to see if an overtake is possible.
BREAKING: @Tesla has closed reservations for the Tesla Semi, but have completely revamped the Semi website with new pics, vids, info & interior shots!
— Sawyer Merritt ???????? (@SawyerMerritt) August 19, 2022
The Semi will now have 3 independent motors (down from 4). It can recover 70% of range in 30 mins using Tesla’s Semi Chargers. pic.twitter.com/fwAYUPsrJP
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