Elon Musk Says Tesla Semi Finished First 500-mile Trip With Full Load
Tesla is expecting to deliver Semis next week.
The Tesla Semi, the company's Class 8 semi-truck, has completed a 500-mile trip with a total weigh-in of 81,000 pounds, Tesla and Twitter owner Elon Musk said in a tweet Saturday.
It marks an important milestone in electric semi-trucks as competitors from Nikola, Mercedes, Volvo and Daimler have yet to achieve similar long-range targets. The 500-mile range Tesla Semi is for the more expensive $180,000 model. The standard Tesla Semi, which sells for $150,000, has a range of 300 miles. Tesla will begin shipping the Semi in early December.
Tesla couldn't be reached for comment as Musk disbanded the company's media relations department in 2020.
The Tesla Semi was announced in 2017 with an initial 2019 release target. As is often the case with Tesla, the Semi was delayed until late 2022.
Companies such as PepsiCo and UPS have ordered a hundred or more Semis from Tesla. For companies, the lower complexity of electric vehicles and Tesla's autonomous driving features should make hauling goods across the country more efficient and safe.
Going electric also helps brands achieve emission targets. The trucking industry generated $726 billion in revenue in 2015, according to the American Trucking Association. Musk told investors that he wants to produce 100,000 trucks a year at some point, which, if achieved, would upend the trucking industry similarly to how EVs have transformed the consumer automotive industry.