Why the Tesla Semi?
Elon Musk is already offering us some superb electric saloons and Electric SUVsHowever, he wants to take the ecological transition a step further by electrifying the main means of transport. During his presentation, he explained that trucks account for 1 % of vehicles in the United States, 20 % of vehicle emissions in the United States, but also 36 % of fine particle emissions from vehicles.
Although trucks only account for a small percentage, their emissions are still significant. The aim behind the Tesla Semi is therefore to reduce CO2 emissions from road transport that circulate day and night throughout the world. But also to restrict emissions of fine particles that cause health problems for people living close to motorways. The CEO of Tesla insists strongly on the fact that the impact on health is enormous".
How does the Tesla Semi perform?
The company itself calls its semi-trailer a "beast".So we could have expected a great performance from Tesla's electric truck. Indeed, the biggest surprise was its autonomyThe Semi offers us a version with a range of 500 km and another with a range of 800 km on a single charge! During tests, the electric truck managed to travel 800 km with a 36.7 tonne loadwhich is a real asset.
Just like the Tesla Model S PlaidThe Semi has three electric motors, two of which will be used for acceleration and one which will be used on motorways. This will limit energy consumption. And speaking of consumption, the Semi will spend 2 kWh per 1.5 km, or around 125 kWh/100 km, thanks to a new, more efficient electric motor. ergonomics plus aerodynamics than the diesel trucks we're used to seeing.
We do not know its maximum speed, however, Tesla announced that this electric truck can go from 0 to 95 km/h in just 20s. We were also treated to a video that put the Tesla Semi through its paces, showing it to be resistant to water, snow and shocks. Another video revealing more of the performance of this electric truck was also shown. capable of easily overtaking a diesel truck on a slope of 6 %.
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What about charging the Tesla Semi?
We don't yet have much data on how the Tesla electric truck will charge, but we do know that it will be able to charge 70 % of sa battery in 30 minutes with 1,400 kW of power. To achieve this, Tesla has announced the new Superchargers v4 cable, which will be capable of exceeding 1,000 kW of power. All we have to do now is wait for the charging stations Superchargers capable of delivering 1,500 kW to recharge the enormous battery weighing almost a tonne.
As for the price of fuel, we don't know exactly how much a full charge will cost. Nevertheless, Elon Musk tells us that over the first three years of ownership of this electric truck, the cost of a full charge will be as follows 200,000 $ that we can save on fuelcompared with a diesel truck. The question of recharging remains to be clarified, but we'll have more details some time in 2023 when the first trucks are actually put on the road.
An electric truck designed with the driver in mind
For a driver, the performance of his truck is very important. However, the comfort of his cab is a priority, as he will be spending all his days and nights inside it. That's why it's important to Tesla electrichas decided to build the driving position around its driver.
Firstly, there are the steering wheel in the centreto give you a better view of the road.
Then you have the option of standing behind your seat so you can take off your jacket and hang it on a coat rack, or even just stand up without getting out of your truck.
There are also two shelves on either side of the steering wheelIt can have the same function as the central screen on Tesla's electric cars. For example, you can display your speed, battery percentage or blind spot cameras in full screen mode on the right, and your route on the left.
Induction chargers and USB-C sockets will also be available inside the cabin.
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