Tesla boss Elon Musk has claimed that a fully-loaded Tesla Semi electric heavy truck has completed an 800kms journey – presumably without re-charging.
The revelation – made on the Twitter social media channel he now owns and which he has long used as his soap-box – contained no further information, other than the Tesla Semi weighed in at 81,000lbs, which is about 36 tonnes.
“Tesla team just completed a 500 mile drive with a Tesla Semi weighing in at 81,000 lbs!” Musk tweeted.
That 36 tonnes is roughly the weight of the fully laded electric semi-trailers that The Driven got to drive at the Volvo Trucks test centre in Gottenburn, Sweden, in September, and which are now in full commercial production.
The difference with the Tesla Semi is that it has significantly more range, if indeed that 500 mile, 800kms, trip was done without the need for a recharge. (In Europe, a driver can’t go that distance without stopping because they are required to rest about 4.5 hours driving, which offers a good opportunity to charge).
Further details will be revealed later this week when Tesla does its official unveil of the Tesla Semi and makes its first official delivery to a customer. Its chair, the Australian business woman Robyn Denholm, recently said Tesla would make 100 Tesla Semis this year for delivery, and Musk has flagged up to 50,000 units a year by 2024.
The heavy duty truck sector is divided by those who think the market will be best served by electric, and others who suggest hydrogen trucks, and those that point to a mixture of both. Certainly, electric makes best sense for the larger short haul market, but there is still debate over which will be more suitable for the long haul market.
One of those electric doubters is Microsoft found Bill Gates, who favours hydrogen or “alternative fuels”. Musk, in response to a twitter question, suggested that Gates was welcome to have a test drive of a Tesla Semi if he wishes.
“He can drive it himself if he wants,” Musk said.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of The Driven, and also edits and founded the Renew Economy and One Step Off The Grid web sites. He has been a journalist for nearly 40 years, is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review, and owns a Tesla Model 3.