Tesla has unveiled its all-electric semi truck, aptly dubbed the ‘Tesla Semi,’ as promised, and the resulting Class 8 transport vehicle is indeed a sight to behold.
This is definitely a futuristic version of the modern transport truck, with a lot of bells and whistles that indeed look like they could make the lives of both freight shipping companies and drivers much more comfortable and convenient overall. The focus on drivers, in particular, is interesting as it appears as though Tesla is hoping to gain support for its trucking from ground-up endorsement, as well as by appealing to the long-term financial reasoning of the shipping companies themselves.
This version of the truck is a day truck, without a sleeper and designed for short hauls accordingly. But Tesla said it could easily extend the cab to accommodate a sleeper cabin, and then extend the underlying battery pack to support that, too. It can also be used with or without the aerodynamic cowling above the hood, depending on the height of the trailer it’s pulling.
Tesla will probably still face a lot of challenges in terms of both getting this truck built at scale, and encouraging broad adoption. But it’s sticking to its playbook of looking at an industry where the legacy players have done something one way for a long time with relatively little in the way of innovation, and changing things drastically. The question is whether applying this model will continue to work in its favor. With a million mile warranty against any breakdowns on every truck, Tesla is doing its best to convince people that change is a good thing.