The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a patent to Tesla yesterday for their class 8 truck. The patent is for an Automatic Tire Inflation System, or ATIS, for the Tesla Semi.
The patent reveals that Tesla is working to overcome one of the more common inefficiencies in commercial vehicles. Deflated tires by even ten psi in gas or diesel trucks can lead to up to a one per cent increase in fuel consumption.
Although the Tesla Semi is a full EV, a deflated tire could lead to a less efficient truck. So, Tesla developed the ATIS.
The system can monitor tire inflation pressure and re-inflate the tires if the vehicle ever drops below the target pressure level.
Tesla has yet to demonstrate their ATIS technology. However, it is clear that Tesla is looking to make a very efficient vehicle.
The patent was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office in April 2018, with a provisional application in April 2017.
As of right now, the Tesla Semi will not begin production until at least 2023. However, the company is already taking orders from some of the largest truck fleets in the country.
You can check out the complete patent here which goes into detail about the technology and how it works.
