Three years late, the Tesla Semi begins to be delivered to its first buyers. This Thursday, December 1, the American company Pepsi and its subsidiary Frito-Lay got their hands on their first 100% electric trucks. Presented for the first time in 2017, the vehicle was initially due to be produced in 2019. This first delivery raises many questions, still unanswered.
“The coolest truck“, according to Musk
The media CEO of the American company, Elon Musk, held a conference during the presentation of the models delivered to the PepsiCo group. “If you’re a trucker and want the coolest vehicle on the road, this is the one“, assured the billionaire relayed by Reuters. The number of trucks delivered to the first customers was not communicated, nor the date of the next deliveries.
In 2017, Tesla was quoting prices between $150,000 and $180,000 per truck, depending on range. 100% electric, the Tesla Semi will have to compete with a sector that is still very dependent on fossil fuels. The majority of heavy goods vehicles on the road still run on diesel. No viable alternative has yet been proposed.
Insane features
According to the American firm, the Semi could travel more than 800 kilometers on a single charge. In France, a driver could therefore make a Paris-Marseille without recharging. A real technological feat. The truck will have a high-powered charger of one megawatt (1,000,000 W). To cool the battery during charging, a coolant will flow through the cable. The Tesla Semi also features a different driving configuration from its competitors. The driver sits in the middle of the cabin, not to the left.
Although the total mass of the truck has not been communicated, the Semi could develop a power far superior to conventional heavy trucks. A presentation video shows the impressive overtaking speed of the Tesla truck, on a small hill on the highway.
To achieve this exceptional performance, the vehicle is equipped with three engines. A main one for regular traction on low-lying roads and two others for developing more power, in order to climb a steep slope or to tow a heavy trailer. The mastodon could thus pull more than 37 tons of goods. Finally, during braking, the motors will be able to recover part of the energy, as is already the case with current electric vehicles.
50,000 semis in 2024?
A hundred Semis could be produced this year, according to recent remarks by Robyn Denholm, president of Tesla. For his part, Elon Musk had expected production close to 50,000 vehicles in 2024. Thermal engine trucks equivalent to the Semi represent 1% of vehicle sales in the United States, but 20% of global emissions, according to Tesla. The car manufacturer thus intends to conquer new market shares, in the United States but also throughout the world.
However, the arrival of these electric giants is beginning to pose serious questions in terms of charging. Will the electrical network infrastructure support the power of the Tesla Semi charging stations? According to the British electricity network manager relayed by Bloomberg, a charging station for these vehicles could consume, by 2035, as much as a small American town.