Tesla has helped changed the perception of EVs by getting more zero-emission vehicles on the roads globally. The Tesla Semi promises to do much the same in the world of transport logistics and long distance trucking.
Its customer delivery event was one of the highlights in 2022 for the electric vehicle juggernaut and – four months on – we now get a rare glimpse into the Tesla Semi by a Tesla enthusiast on Reddit who spotted a Pepsi-branded vehicle parked across the street.
The photos taken by the enthusiast show the Tesla Semi with a Pepsi-branded trailer behind it. The online community thanked the user for taking such high-quality photos of the Semi, showing the screens on the inside. The user responded by saying:
“Thanks man, I was so excited to see it I’m surprised the pictures came out!”
In the photos showing the cab’s inside, we get a glimpse of Tesla’s clean user interface and centre driver seating position.
The armrest on the seat appears to be up with what looks like height adjusters on it.
The seats also appeared to be of cloth-like durable material along with the seatbelt which was in Tesla’s branding colour, red.
On the right side of the cab, there are wireless charging pads as well as bottle holders.
One of the photos also shows what it would be like sitting in the driver’s seat. The single-wiper system appears to be not as intrusive as seen on some other larger vehicles and the glass cabin seems quite airy and a pleasant space for the driver.
You can also get a glimpse of the side mirrors and how far they reach from this view which is good for the driver’s visibility around the large rig.
Looking at the screen, we get a glimpse of the user interface for the driver which appears to be as clear as those found in Tesla’s passenger vehicles.
The two screens show four camera angles giving a nearly 360-degree view. The 360-degree cameras have been a highly requested item in Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
This could give us a hint of what the next-generation Tesla’s larger passenger vehicles like the Cybertruck could be equipped with.
One of the Tesla Semi’s screens also showed a range of 374 miles with the battery bar indicating 80-85% full. At 80%, it would be around 470 miles of real-world range on a full charge.
This range value seems to be closer to Tesla’s original estimates of 500 miles of range per charge, which is good to see.
Underneath the fairly simple steering wheel, left and right footrests are provided for driver comfort. The steering wheel has a single main stalk, unlike conventional larger trucks with many, continuing Tesla’s minimalistic design approach.
What was quite unique this time around is that we got some feedback from the driver about various aspects of driving the Tesla Semi, specifically, its autonomous capabilities.
When asked about driving the Semi on Autopilot, the driver shared that he wasn’t trained on the Autopilot system so hadn’t used it yet.
This is one of the first times we have received a real-world look into the Tesla Semi and its interior.
This gives us a rare glimpse into the future of heavy transport which is also needed as these larger freight-carrying vehicles travel longer with greater amounts of emissions. Zero-emission trucks like the Tesla Semi will make a huge difference to our air quality and reduce noise on roads and highways.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.