If the fully electric Tesla Semi lives up to the company’s claims, it will be far quicker than any other normal-production tractor-trailer on the market, capable of accelerating to 60 mph in just five seconds with no load or in just 20 seconds?the same as an empty diesel semi?when pulling a trailer that increases the gross weight to 80,000 pounds.
The Semi was recently caught by YouTube user Brandon Camargo in action on a residential street in Santa Clara, California, not far from Tesla?s headquarters. Only tire roar and a fair amount of motor whine are heard?a whisper compared to the decibel levels emitted by today?s turbo-diesel semis. The Tesla Semi also looks to be quick?as it should be, given that it isn?t pulling any sort of load.
The Semi will need to be more than just quick and quiet, however. It will need to deliver reliability, too, at the level that fleet managers demand. And it potentially will have a lot of competition in the EV realm, as nearly every major commercial truckmaker is working on an electric-powertrain project?including traditionally diesel-centric Cummins.
There are also some reality checks on which Tesla still has to pass muster. The Semi will require a new Megacharger system just to get the massive battery pack?capacity not yet disclosed?charged up for each haul. As battery experts have pointed out, Tesla has made some claims with both the Semi and Roadster, which it showed together in November, that don?t quite compute given the curr...