In 2017, Tesla introduced its first heavy truck called semi
This was the first move into the semi-truck business. Even though the truck was supposed to be ready sooner
it took Tesla five years to get its first electric cars on the road
Yes, a real production semi-truck has now been given to Tesla. It'll be owned by PepsiCo, which showed off two trucks with Pepsi and Frito-Lay logos
and two other white trucks when Tesla announced that the semi would be built
Elon Musk drove one of the white semis to the, the event where he apologized and thanked everyone for their patients while they waited five years
for the semi to be made. He also talked about why Tesla is making a semi. According to him
it's because semi trucks are responsible for about 20% of emissions, even though they only make up
1% of car sales in the U.S. He also said that living next to a highway where diesel semi trucks
drive around is very dangerous and that the noise pollution they make is very bad
Musk says that's why Tesla semi fits with the company's goal of making sustainable energy
and why it makes a different kind of car than most other automakers. Musk drove one of these trucks right towards the crowd
This was more than just a way to show how it moves. During the show, Musk said that driving the semis a lot like driving a Tesla car
This also includes how well it drives. He said it looks like an elephant that moves like a cheetah
It's quick to speed up and quick to slow down. It has three times the power of a diesel semi-tru
on the road today. Tesla said that the Tesla semis 1,000-volt battery power source will give it a range of 500 miles
Oh, and in the near future, more cars will have the one-kilovolt system
This will be important in the future. It's a plaid triple motor with a plaid double motor frame
Tesla also said that the semis engine, H-Pack, hardware, controls, and software are all based on Tesla technology
and equipment that's already in use, especially its drive system, which is based on
on the dual motors found in the Model S and X plaid and uses a triple motor setup with one axle to speed up At a steady state the motors detach from the axles and let them freewheel which makes the semi more efficient
The single motor takes over and does all the driving on the highway. Musk says that the change from rapid axle engagement to normal driving will be smooth
even though the axles will be coupled and uncoupled. Tesla also showed a video of the truck rolling over things
driving through steep puddles, uneven dirt roads, snow-covered highways, and even washboard roads
to show that it could handle a wide range of driving conditions. Tesla also said that its semis ran between Sparks, Reno, Tahoe, and Fremont around the clock
to make sure they were ready to carry heavy loads. Taking on really heavy loads
Gross truck weight law says that semi can pull up to 82,000 pounds
This is 2,000 pounds more than diesel trucks are allowed, which is a favor for
from the government to make up for the weight of the battery pack in an electric semi
This single highway motor is more than enough to run it regularly. Tesla proved this by taking it through California's donor pass
and filming it carrying its full load and passing a diesel semi while speeding
Regenerative braking is another way that Tesla semi is better than normal ice semi trucks
As it goes down steep hills, the Tesla semi's driver doesn't have to worry about missing a gear
or messing up the Jake break. It also needs less brakes than an ice truck
because of the region. When we reach the bottom of the hill, the brakes are cold, Musk said
That makes the driver and the other drivers on the road safer. Tesla says that the semi has great safety equipment built in
Tesla says that its motor's unique design and its traction and chassis settings
can stop a truck from jackknifing. Musk says that everything just works for the driver
On a single charge, it can go 500 miles. Next, Tesla showed a graph of the 500-mile test drive from Fremont to San Diego
The car pulled just under its 80 pound capacity as a fully production model with no arrow tricks Musk said that Tesla will show the whole eight film without any cuts but tonight he only showed a time version During the 500 trip the Tesla semi never stopped charging but the driver did stop once to use the bathroom and take the required commercial driver break hour
Are you looking for more information? Tesla says that he drove a fully sealed caravan along I-5 about 82 miles per hour
The semi-zerodynamics are a plus in addition to its huge 1,000-volt battery pack for the 500-mile trip
It works together with the trailer it pulls to cut down on drag and increase speed
Overall, the semi-only uses about 2 kilowatt hours per mile. This means that the potential capacity of the battery is 1 megawatt hour
That's more than 33 times as much as the average home uses in one day
Not just because of the driver's seat, but also because of the driver-centered design
9, Tesla's ideas go beyond just tech. The driver is in mind when the car was made
but not just because the seats are in the middle. First, it has standard wireless charging
a USBC port for mobile devices, and easy places to store these devices
The regular Tesla semi is also bigger than a normal day cab truck
which, if you've never been inside one, may be shockingly cramped. Anyone taller than 6 feet will be fine
It also has features to make it easier to get work done, one-button rear dump to help load trailers. This isn't a particularly new idea since many
heavy trucks dump or kneel to load trailers. It also has built-in safety checks that the driver
can use from the cab to help pass safety checks while on the road. Lastly, the semi has a spherical
steering wheel, which is different from Tesla's most recent passenger cars. However, it still has
the standard Tesla wheel touch controls and scroll wheel. It also has two tablet monitors with
different views, so the driver can keep an eye on the load, check for blind spots, and
use navigation without having to change views on a single screen. Instead of putting both screens in horizontal mode like the S or X the steering wheel is in the middle of both screens Version 4 of Tesla charging system is 1 megawatt and will be available next year Another surprise that Tesla showed off was the new version 4 charging system
which is a 1 megawatt DC charging system with immersion cooling. This system has three times the power density of a non-immersion cooled system
and also lets the cord be thinner. Tesla also said this charging will be used on cybertruck
and will be available at Tesla superchargers next year. semis can charge in a reasonable amount of time, which Tesla has said before means they can charge 70% in just 30 minutes
In the most current update, Musk did not explain or specify how long it takes to charge
As we've already said, one megawatt is almost 33 times more energy than the average home uses in a day
and it's likely more than one semi will be charging at any given charging spot at the same time
Musk, on the other hand, said that Tesla could make up for this by using solar energy and
building power centers that would release stored energy when it was needed. Musk also suggested starting to make nuclear power again
but these cars will need a lot of energy to charge, and it's not clear if Tesla supercharging stations
let alone the power networks that will serve them, will be able to handle it
Will there be more than just PepsiCo? Now that the first deal with PepsiCo is started production and delivery
the question is whether or not other transport and goods companies will do the same
Since the Tesla semi was first shown off five years ago, at least one order has been placed by Anheiser-Busch, Walmart, UPS, and 12 other North American companies
Other European brands have also said they'll order semis for their teams around the same time
Now that Tesla has shown the production form, will other brands follow
How many other owner-operators will buy an electric semi-truck that is as easy to drive as a Tesla
We'll have to wait and see, but if Musk's claims about saving money on gas and brakes are true
and Tesla can build and ship a lot of these, it's hard to argue against the investment
at least for short and medium distance hauling jobs. Thanks for watching this video