Elon Musk surprised everybody last week by announcing that the Semi was finally going to start shipping later this year. Ahead of those first deliveries, Tesla has updated their website, removing the order button and also updating the specs for the electric semi.
According to the updated website, the Semi now features three independent motors, down from four listed on the previous version of the website. This change doesn’t seem to have had an effect on the performance of the Semi, as it is still listed as having a 0 to 60mph time of 20 seconds when fully loaded at 82,000lbs Gross Combination Weight.
That might sound like a lot when you are used to hearing about 2 and 3 second 0-60mph times for other Teslas, but it is ridiculously fast when compared to a tradition diesel semi, which requires 60 seconds to reach 60mph when fully loaded.
Along with the impressive acceleration, the Tesla Semi can also maintain highway-level speeds when travelling up a grade. If you have ever driven through the mountains you know this is will be a game changer for drivers as it is a common sight to see fully loaded semis travelling well below the speed limit with their emergency flashers on when travelling up a grade.
Perhaps most importantly the Semi has maintained its 500 mile (804km) range, with Tesla now specifying that range is when fully loaded.
One of the specs that isn’t listed is the battery capacity, but with a little back of the napkin math we can get a pretty accurate estimate. The website also lists the predicted energy consumption of less than 2kWh per mile. If that number was exactly 2kWh per mile, that would infer a battery capacity of 1MWh.
The updates also give us a hint at the charging speeds for Tesla Megachargers. According to the website the Semi can recover 70% of its charge in 30 minutes. Assuming a 1MWh battery, that would equate to 700kW in 30 minutes, confirming our reporting earlier this year that the Megachargers can charge at up to 1.5MW.
While all of these changes are exciting, Tesla also removed the order button, and prospective customers can now only sign up to receive updates on the Semi. Previously the 500 mile variant was expected to cost $180,000 and the 300 mile variant $150,000.
Since those prices have been on the website for quite a while, and given the state of the economy and rising inflation, Tesla likely removed the order button in order to increase those prices.
You can check out the updated site, including new photos and videos at tesla.com/semi.
