Elon Musk reveals surprisingly small battery pack in Tesla Semi electric truck

[TSemi]

Elon Musk reveals surprisingly small battery pack in Tesla Semi electric truck - Electrek




Elon Musk revealed the expected capacity of Tesla Semi’s battery pack ahead of the start of production, and it is surprisingly smaller than we thought.


Back in 2017, Tesla unveiled its plan for an electric semi-truck, called the Tesla Semi, and at the time, the automaker announced two options capable of over 300 and 500 miles of range on a single charge.

They are expected to cost $150,000 and $180,000, respectively, but with an efficiency of less than 2 kWh per mile with a full load, the cost of operations is expected to be where Tesla Semi shines.

With that kind of efficiency and range, Tesla Semi was expected to have battery packs between 600 kWh and 1 MWh.

Now in a new interview with Joe Rogan, CEO Elon Musk revealed that the Tesla Semi will have a battery pack around 500 kWh:

“You want something in the order of probably a 500 kWh pack. What we have in the Model S and X is a 100 kWh pack and probably something like a 500 kWh pack in the Tesla Semi.”

However, the CEO appears to be talking about a 300-mile version of the electric truck, and he said that the longer range version would be coming later.

In response to Bill Gates’ comments about battery-electric trucks not being viable, Musk argued that adding the kind of weight that comes with a 500 kWh battery pack is not a problem.

He said that it’s not a “game-changer” when it comes to the mass, especially if you are using a structural battery pack, as Tesla unveiled at Battery Day last year.

Tesla plans to make the battery pack with its new 4680 cells a structural part of the vehicle’s chassis.

A new Tesla Semi prototype was recently spotted, and the automaker plans to start production with a few deliveries later this year.

Musk recently said that the Tesla Semi would be produced at Gigafactory Texas in Austin.

But we have also seen indications that Tesla is gearing up to have some production of the Tesla Semi at Gigafactory Nevada.

 

[Two-rocks]

I have seen operating cost breakdown's and on the surface they seem good...but the energy must be put back - maybe I missed it, but there will need to be significant charging infrastructure in place - further adding to the cost...

 

[SmartElectric]

This is great news, Tesla needs to focus on the tipping point of the transport industry, not long haul trucking, but mid range warehousing and those trucks driven constantly day and night all year round.

 

[MXLRplus]

It will be interesting. A modern class 8 rig goes 750k mi reliably. For a 500kWh battery that might be pushing it.

 

[TSemi]

It will be interesting. A modern class 8 rig goes 750k mi reliably. For a 500kWh battery that might be pushing it.

Also, at 750k what will the range be for the Tesla Semi? at 500k? For a BEV Semi range is everything.

 

[CyberGus]

For a BEV Semi range is everything.

Well, range ain't nothin' but Tesla is not competing in the long-haul space. Yet.

Every day, I see 18-wheelers roaming about town, making local deliveries. They're noisy, they stink, and they're slow. Replace all those with the 500kWh semi and the people will rejoice.

 

[TSemi]

Replace all those with the 500kWh semi and the people will rejoice.

No Doubt.

But after 5 years will the Tesla Semi still go 300 or 500 miles on a charge? Or how fast will the battery degradation be? That's what will be important to fleet owners.

 

[ThomasD]

If you had a business and you had a Tesla Semi would you charge it to full every day? What would you let it get down before charging? There maybe times where you may need to charge it while on the road and you can't. Your route may only be 350 miles but it's 0 degrees out and with a 30 mile an hour wind and your loosing range fast. We don't know how many times the Semi had to stop and charge on runs from the factory to Nevada. We have no idea how low they would let the battery get before charging or if they were charging it to full every charge

 

[SmartElectric]

But after 5 years will the Tesla Semi still go 300 or 500 miles on a charge? Or how fast will the battery degradation be? That's what will be important to fleet owners.

Cost per km (mile) is what is important, range is only important if the truck can't do a route.

Observation : Tesla keeps adding range to it's cars, the base 2021 Model S is nearly 2x the range of my 2013.

I surmise operators will buy new Tesla trucks for longer routes and move the older Tesla trucks to shorter routes, time to pay off is pretty quick according to Tesla's slides on Semi reveal. Tesla won't be able to supply the market need for the next few years, so operators will beta test on routes that make sense and then expand as Tesla releases new and better offerings.

 

[TSemi]

Cost per km (mile) is what is important

That applies to ICE trucks and BEV trucks.

range is only important if the truck can't do a route.

Range is the most important part of a BEV truck.

Observation : Tesla keeps adding range to it's cars, the base 2021 Model S is nearly 2x the range of my 2013.

Hopefully this will continue!

I surmise operators will buy new Tesla trucks for longer routes and move the older Tesla trucks to shorter routes,

At some point maybe. All fleet operators may not elect to go this route, it depends on the fleet operator.

time to pay off is pretty quick according to Tesla's slides on Semi reveal.

Fleet operators will make their own assessments, they won't take Tesla's calculations for their operations.

Tesla won't be able to supply the market need for the next few years, so operators will beta test on routes that make sense and then expand as Tesla releases new and better offerings.

Looking forward to any new and better offering of the Tesla Semi but that is years away.