The COVID-19 pandemic and global parts scarcity delayed the release of Tesla’s semi-truck. Five years later, Tesla released the first batch of its semi-truck to PepsiCo.
According to Elon Musk, living in an environment where gas-powered Semi Trucks are around is unhealthy because of emissions and noise. Tesla is creating a sustainable means of transportation to decarbonize the globe further.
About five years ago, Elon Musk introduced an electric class 8 truck prototype to start production in 2019. Meanwhile, the global scarcity of parts, the COVID-19 pandemic, the unavailability of battery cells, etc., delayed the trucking program. Finally, the Tesla Semi was released, and Pepsi got the first batch.
It has four motors, an impressive driving range between charges, charging ports, a middle seat, and a spacious cargo space. It offers better traction to prevent jackknifing, an automatic clutch for smooth highway driving, and regenerative braking to increase battery efficiency. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, described Tesla’s Semi as something that came from the future and referred to as a beast.
Tesla has developed a megawatts class charger with a liquid-cooled charging connector similar to Tesla’s supercharger network. Also, Tesla will install mega packs alongside the chargers, which act as an energy storage system that prevents electricity surges from the power system.
In 2017, CEO Elon Musk said that the electric semi-truck would drive 500 miles on one charge when fully loaded. The long driving range proves true from the video released recently where the truck drove from Freemont to San Diego.
Also, in 2017, when Tesla’s Semi was first released, Pepsi placed an order for 100 trucks. Other companies on the waiting include Walmart, UPS, and Anheuser-Busch. Elon Musk said that Tesla aims to produce 50,000 electric semi-trucks for North America in 2024.
In the future, Tesla will accumulate more data to refine the electric semi-truck by putting the truck into its fleet to transport goods between Tesla factories and suppliers.