New Tesla Truck - 500mi Range, 1M mi Guarantee

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Elon Musk is already well on the way to revolutionizing the car industry for its inevitable electric future. But late yesterday, Musk revealed how he plans to do the same for the trucking industry with the Tesla Semi.

On stage the Semi looked great, on paper it looks almost unbelievable.

As The Verge reports, the Tesla Semi promises to deliver a 500-mile range on a single charge. To be clear, that's 500 miles driving with 80,000 pounds of cargo loaded in the back. While carrying all that weight the Semi can reach speeds of 65mph up a 5 percent grade climb (diesel trucks only manage 45mph) and the Semi easily out-accelerates a diesel truck regardless of the weight being carried.

Other impressive features Musk divulged included a 400-mile range achieved with only a 30-minute charge. Four independent motors on the rear axles allow Tesla to make it impossible for the Semi to jackknife. It also means you'll never have to change the brake pads, as most of the kinetic braking energy gets fed back into the battery rather than wearing the pads down. ....

Another thing that never needs changing is the windshield, as the glass is so strong it can withstand a thermo-nuclear explosion blast. Other safety features include automatic emergency braking, automatic lane keeping, and a forward-collision warning system.

What Tesla promises with the Semi is a truck that's simply more economical, reliable, safer, faster, and environmentally friendly compared to diesel trucks. The reliability is backed up by a million-mile drivetrain guarantee, it says.

As for economics, Musk broke it down to a cost per mile. Simply put, a diesel truck costs $1.51 per mile travelled taking into account the total cost of operation. The Tesla Semi only costs $1.26 per mile, and that's carrying 80,000 pounds and travelling at an average speed of 60mph.

The Tesla Semi can be ordered now with production beginning in 2019. Reservations require a $5,000 deposit and Bloomberg reports grocery chain Meijer Inc. was first out of the blocks, reserving four Semi trucks to add to its fleet. Final pricing has yet to be revealed.

Also last night, Musk revealed a brand new high-tech car: a revamped Tesla Roadster he brought on stage in the back of a Semi.



https://www.pcmag.com/news/357443/tesla-semi-truck-500-mile-range-1-million-mile-guarantee


 
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This was mentioned in the roadster thread. Would be interesting to see the details on the battery, as to deliver on the above will require a massive increase in capacity (and weight), which in turn will pose a much larger obstacle for charging.
 
My thoughts exactly.

I hadn't read the roadster thread.
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The other problem I see is that Trucks are already being stolen for the large values being hauled around and now they will be stolen for their batteries etc.
 
The end is now clearly in sight.
Tesla is an unlikely acquisition candidate since there is the huge problem of the many Model 3 orders for which prospective buyers have placed cash deposits for a car that Tesla has thus far been unable to produce in commercial volumes.
Tesla must either do the hard work needed to bring the Model 3 to fruition or it will dwindle away.
Unlikely truck concepts and fantasy sports cars are nothing upon which this company should be focusing its attentions when it has real factory floor problems that are urgently in need of resolution.
 
Originally Posted By: Balrog006
Conventional trucks can’t climb a 5% grade at anything more than 45mph????


Yeah, not sure what the benchmark for that is
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I was passed by a tandem log truck going uphill at 75Mph easily with a big old Meow Meow under the hood, and this was the late 90's
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I said the same thing to a coworker ~ better learn how to crawl - sure not walking or running with affordable (no taxpayers) mass production anything …
 
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Walmart announced that it is buying 5 of those to test out.


Problem is that there's nothing to buy.
I doubt that Walmart is going to buy five rather crude computer animations.
 
Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: Warstud
Walmart announced that it is buying 5 of those to test out.


Problem is that there's nothing to buy.
I doubt that Walmart is going to buy five rather crude computer animations.


Yeah, another sketchy scheme from Tesla.

Unless these rigs are transporting Styrofoam cups and plates, these trucks are just a dream and new Tesla flavor of the month.
 
Nikola also had a recent announcement about their Class 8 truck

Quote:
Nikola Motor Company has named Bosch and PowerCell AB as key suppliers for the Nikola class 8 hydrogen-fuel-cell electric truck….

PowerCell Sweden AB will be the primary supplier of fuel cell stacks for Nikola’s pre-production testing vehicles. The PowerCell S3 (100 kW) is a fuel cell stack with best-in-class power density and is primarily designed for automotive application. The full Nikola fuel cell system is anticipated to output more than 300 kW continuously. The truck’s powertrain will deliver more than 1,000 hp (746 kW) and 2,000 lb-ft (2,712 N·m) of torque...

The fuel cell system will recharge the 320 kWh battery pack, which in turn will power the drive motors. The hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered day-cab is slated to have a range of 800 to 1,200 miles, with a 15-minute refill time…

The fully operational, pre-production Nikola Two day-cab will begin testing in Fall of 2018. Following its release, the Nikola Two will undergo a 12-month testing period in extreme climates. This testing period will give the company valuable data in preparation for full production in 2021.

The first 5,000 trucks will be built at Fitzgerald Gliders in Tennessee while Nikola builds its own manufacturing facility. The location of the Nikola manufacturing facility will be named in early 2018.


http://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/11/20171110-nikola.html
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: Balrog006
Conventional trucks can’t climb a 5% grade at anything more than 45mph????


Yeah, not sure what the benchmark for that is
21.gif
I was passed by a tandem log truck going uphill at 75Mph easily with a big old Meow Meow under the hood, and this was the late 90's
21.gif

Trucks must be different in Canada, here when you're in the hills you'd be amazed to find one going even anywhere close to 45 mph, they're the slowest things ever.
 
Next week Tesla unveils the new consumer Mars vacation trips.

Available in 2025. Just need a 1 million dollar deposit down now.

They haven't even built 1000 of the Model 3 yet.

In my opinion, he is just trying to keep excitement high, so his stock price doesn't nose-dive, and investors still invest.

Without the billion dollar Space X contracts, Tesla flames out.
 
GM's Electromotive used electric motors to pull trains with a diesel generator providing the electricity for decades, almost a century. All electric is powerful but the grid has to have a lot of watts for this kind of charging. Electricity is not so cheap either. A hybrid system where electricity is generated instead of energy lost in braking would save so much fuel, fuel would get cheaper.

https://history.gmheritagecenter.com/wiki/index.php/The_Electro-Motive_Story
 
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