Tesla Semi: electric lorry launch pushed back to 2020

EV maker's boss, Elon Musk, attributes 12-month delay to difficulties in scaling up battery production
Felix Page Autocar writer
by Felix Page
14 June 2019

Tesla boss Elon Musk has announced that the launch of the brand's Semi electric lorry will be delayed until 2020, citing an already strained battery supply for production of its range of EVs. 

Speaking at the firm's annual shareholders meeting, Musk said Tesla would strive to ramp up battery production as quickly as possible, going so far as to suggest a venture into metal mining could be a possibility. 

Despite the delay, customers are still able to reserve Semis. Existing customers include large companies such as Walmart, UPS and FedEx, but it is remains to be seen whether the delayed release will discourage further investment in the zero-emissions truck.  

Such bottlenecks are no new phenomenon for Tesla; for example, Model 3 production was brought to a halt in early 2018 by worker shortages and software issues. The brand's fourth model, the Model Y, a Jaguar I-Pace rival, is due on the US market next year, with Musk aiming for an output of 2000 examples per week by September 2020. 

The Semi will be capable of driving for up to 600 miles on a gingle charge, even when fully loaded, Musk has previously claimed.

His claim followed the boss of Daimler's lorry division, Martin Daum, suggesting that the Semi's statistics "defied the laws of physics".

The Semi with the 600-mile claimed range costs $180,000 (£132,720 at today's rate) in the US. A lower-spec variant with a 300-mile range will be priced from $150,000 (£110,565). Prices for diesel lorries in Britain start at about £85,000 by comparison.

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At the November 2017 event in Hawthorne, California, where Tesla also showed its new Roadster sports car, Musk said the Semi, which was previously referred to as the Tesla Truck, was capable of accelerating from 0-60mph in 5.0sec.

Tesla Semi: UK truckers 'don't care about performance'

He also said it was able to hit 60mph in 20.0sec when the trailer is fully loaded with 80,000lb (almost 36 tonnes) of cargo. This beats the average sprint time for diesel-powered rivals by around 40sec.

The Semi's energy recovery systems are claimed to be capable of recovering 98% of kinetic energy to the battery. For regular charging, the lorry can be connected to Tesla Megachargers – a new high-speed DC charging solution – that are said to add about 400 miles in 30 minutes and can be installed at origin or destination points, much like the existing Superchargers.

Efficiency is boosted by a low wind resistance, with Tesla claiming the Semi has a drag coefficient of 0.36Cd. It states that most of its competitors are closer to 0.65Cd.

Tesla has refrained from going into further detail about the lorry's drivetrain and battery but has revealed that the vehicle features advanced autonomous technology to prevent jackknifing of the trailer. Onboard sensors are installed to detect instability and can adjust torque sent to each wheel and independently actuate all brakes to avoid jackknifing.

Additionally, surround cameras provide autonomous object detection and reduce blindspots, alerting the driver to safety hazards and obstacles. The Semi also introduces a new Enhanced Autopilot system, with automatic emergency braking, automatic lane keeping, lane departure warning and even event recording.

The Semi can travel in a convoy, allowing one or several examples to autonomously follow a leader.

Alongside the claims for performance and safety, Musk said the Semi would provide users with massive savings. Figures produced by the company state that owners "can expect to save $200,000 or more over a million miles based on fuel costs alone".

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Comments
73

geed

2 May 2017
Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

typos1

25 August 2017

Yeah Ia gree I hate "lorry" truck sounds much better.

XXXX just went POP.

Campervan

16 November 2017
geed wrote:

Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

 

In the US a truck is what we in the UK call a pick up. The US call an articulated lorry a semi.

iIn the US the best selling vehicle for decades has been a truck, the Ford F-150.

Leslie Brook

27 November 2017
Campervan wrote:

geed wrote:

Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

 

In the US a truck is what we in the UK call a pick up. The US call an articulated lorry a semi.

iIn the US the best selling vehicle for decades has been a truck, the Ford F-150.

It's not a lorry or a truck, it's a Tractor Unit. When connected to a trailer then the combination is a lorry. A truck is the wheels of a skateboard.

"Pressurised container: May burst if heated"

supercarrambler

14 June 2019
Leslie Brook wrote:

Campervan wrote:

geed wrote:

Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

 

In the US a truck is what we in the UK call a pick up. The US call an articulated lorry a semi.

iIn the US the best selling vehicle for decades has been a truck, the Ford F-150.

It's not a lorry or a truck, it's a Tractor Unit. When connected to a trailer then the combination is a lorry. A truck is the wheels of a skateboard.

 

To log onto Autocar's website I had to verify what a "Cross Walk" was.... I have no clue what one is...

Anyway can you explain what a semi is ?

ex boy scout, engineer and all round geek.....

sbagnall

15 June 2019
supercarrambler wrote:

Leslie Brook wrote:

Campervan wrote:

geed wrote:

Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

 

In the US a truck is what we in the UK call a pick up. The US call an articulated lorry a semi.

iIn the US the best selling vehicle for decades has been a truck, the Ford F-150.

It's not a lorry or a truck, it's a Tractor Unit. When connected to a trailer then the combination is a lorry. A truck is the wheels of a skateboard.

Anyway can you explain what a semi is ?

Surely as an ex boyscout you'd know that.

jason_recliner

14 June 2019

I just don't believe it!!!

Leslie Brook

15 June 2019
geed wrote:

Lorry! Bonkers British word. It's a truck! ;-)

It's a lorry.

"Pressurised container: May burst if heated"

Turinbrakes

2 May 2017
Musk also claimed that the Tesla truck could be driven around ‘like a sports car’

What the hell is the point in that? What will be the top model, the GT3 RRS

fadyady

2 May 2017
Long haul trucks have 12L diesel engines. Carry 1400L of fuel. Few hundred litres of ad-blue. Add to it a heavy transmission etc and Tesla making a truck or lorry as we call it here begins to make complete sense just like his sensational cars do.

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