On November 16th, 2017, Elon Musk and his company, Tesla Inc., revealed their gift to truckers around the world. Tesla is producing a fully-electric semi-truck that blows the traditional diesel-powered semis out of the water. The first thing that shocked us right away was solely the design. It looks like the future!
Elon Musk starts off talking about the performance of his new vehicle. He states that his semi-trucks can reach 0-60mph within 5 seconds without a load while a diesel-truck can do it in 15 seconds. At maximum cargo load (80,000lbs), the Tesla can reach 0 60mph in 20 seconds while a diesel truck does the same thing, but well over a minute. A diesel truck can move 45mph at a 5% grade, but a Tesla Semi can do it at 65mph at maximum gross. A Tesla Semi can reach a 500-mile range at highway speed with only one charge. The Tesla Semi has 4 independent motors, one on each wheel, so it is smooth driving throughout a transport.
Even if only 2 motors were to be working, a Tesla Semi will still out perform a normal diesel-truck. When it comes to driver experience, a Tesla Semi only has one gear. Other gears are unnecessary because the Tesla Semi can handle any route it is given. The driver is now located in the center of the truck instead of being on either side (depending on where you are in the world). The interior of the cockpit is spacious and feels like small room where there is plenty of space for storage and even another passenger. There are two high-tech screens that the driver can use as GPS or communication during their trip. The Tesla even has a front truck because why not!
When it comes to charging your Tesla Semi, Musk recommends that truckers should charge during their required 30-minute break so that they can get 400 miles back in their battery pack. Also, you can charge this vehicle while unloading your cargo to gain extra miles. Charging at these times will make it so that miles are never a concern for you! Mega-charging stations are now found worldwide; this is a drastic difference from a few years ago when charging stations where rarely found.
Now we know that there is skepticism to how safe a fully electric and autonomous vehicle can be. Tesla insures us that their vehicles are safer than a human behind the wheel, every time. The Tesla Semi comes with automatic emergency braking, lane keeping, and forward collision warning. Jackknifing is now a thing of the past because the 4 motors will safely adjust the torque of each wheel, even with maximum payload, to adjust to difficult road conditions. Musk proceeds by saying that he and Tesla guarantee that their vehicle will last 1 million miles. Brake pads never have to be replaced because the act of braking only powers motor for braking, so you can brake as much as you want! All windows and screens are sturdy and are never going to crack, so you can drive without having to worry about being stuck, waiting for someone to come replace our windshield and losing precious time and money. Tesla Semis will tell the driver when it may need maintenance and where so repairs are no hassle to figure out.
Now with cost, a Tesla Semi beats out a diesel-truck once again. Tesla Semis will be 20% less expensive than a diesel-truck when it comes to “fuel”. Kilowatt per hour (the “fuel” for electric cars) are guaranteed to be only 7 cents each! With a 3-truck convoy, Tesla Semis beat out diesel trucks by twice as much in terms of fuel cost. The base price of the 500-mile range will be only $180,000, and with the amount of savings on fuel, the Tesla will beat out the overall price of a diesel-truck swiftly. These new vehicles will be out by 2019 and reservations can now be made! We believe that this is the future of transporting because it is faster, safer, more reliable, costs less for fuel, and is saving our planet while serving our needs at the same time. We hope to see Tesla Semis and other vehicles like it dominate the highways one day because they are only a positive to the driver, customer, and eco-system.
Here is the link to the website and video (scroll down on the website) if you wish to see the presentation for yourself. https://www.tesla.com/semi
