Tesla has been promising to roll out its first electric heavy-duty truck, the Semi, for several years now, but the company released a video this week revealing the truck may be nearly ready for release.
The Elon Musk run automaker tweeted a video of a pre-production Semi at speed on a race track with the caption, “Semi on the track.” The vehicle can be heard emitting a jet-engine-like whirring sound as it banks a corner.
Tesla says it is powered by four independent motors on the rear axles and claims the Semi can hit 97km/h in 20 seconds with a 36,287kg load, while without a trailer in tow, the Semi can hit 97km/h in just five seconds.
The Semi is set to cost around $AUD194,031 ($US150,000) for the model with a 483km range, meanwhile an 805km-range truck is expected to cost around $AUD 232,837 ($US180,000), and buyers can reserve a Semi for a mere $AUD25,871 ($US20,000).
Semi on the track pic.twitter.com/0QCTYGbLJv
— Tesla (@Tesla) March 14, 2021
Tesla has had thousands of paid up reservations since 2017, including from major companies including Pepsi, Walmart, and brewer Anheuser-Busch as well as freight companies FedEx, DHL, and UPS , however, Tesla is still yet to deliver a single truck. It has not been made known how many reservations have been canceled.
Tesla has delayed production many times, and now says it plans to begin manufacturing the Semi this year.
As it gears up to deliver its first tractor-trailers, Tesla, as reported on this site in a separate story, has just appointed a new head of its heavy trucking division. Jerome Guillen, a former Daimler Trucks executive and more recently the head of Tesla automotive, took the reins of the project last week.
