During the presentation of the financial results for the third quarter of 2022, Elon Musk went into a little more detail about his electric truck, the Tesla Semi. The opportunity to learn a little more about its autonomy, but also its battery and its sales estimates which place Tesla as the second truck manufacturer in the United States!
Tesla’s electric truck, the Semi, has been talked about a lot in recent months. This summer, we focused on the ridiculously low theoretical consumption of the Semi, which was to change the face of road transport. During the presentation of the financial results to analysts, Elon Musk made a clarification that everyone was waiting for.
Autonomy: up to 800 km with one charge
The boss of Tesla has confirmed that the autonomy of the Tesla Semi (between 480 and 800 km depending on the version) is announced with a load and not empty. As a reminder, the consumption of 2 kWh for 1 mile (1.6 km) was indicated with a load of 37 tons.
Tesla: number 2 American truck?
Elon Musk brings another clarification that shows how much Tesla wants to invest in the electric truck market. By 2024, the American firm plans to produce 50,000 Tesla Semis per year for the North American market before targeting other markets thereafter. By way of comparison, the two truck market leaders (Freightliner and Kenworth) respectively sell between 70,000 and 100,000 units per year for the first against 30,000 to 40,000 trucks for the second as can be seen from these figures.
Tesla could therefore quickly become the number two tractor-trailer in the United States, all engines combined. On the car, remember that the Texan manufacturer is on track to break all its records in 2023. This could translate into a major feat: that its electric SUV, the Model Y, becomes the best-selling car in the world, even in taking into account thermal cars. This requires being able to sell more than a million per year, which seems to be within reach.
Batteries: no revolution on the horizon
This presentation to analysts was also an opportunity to discuss the batteries used by the Semi. And contrary to what the entire industry has thought for many months, the first Tesla Semis and Cybertrucks to roll off the production line will not feature the new 4680 batteries. Instead, they will be the older 2670s, which are less interesting for Tesla, because more expensive to produce and with a lower energy density.
The opportunity for Elon Musk to recall that some Model Y produced in Austin are equipped with 4680 structural batteries, but not all. Tesla is aiming for around 1,000 4680 batteries produced per week by the end of the year. That is around 56,000, a very low figure compared to the two million electric cars that the American manufacturer plans to manufacture in 2023.
Tesla Semi: deliveries confirmed for December 1
Finally, Elon Musk returned to the first deliveries of the Tesla Semi. These will take place in December, and more precisely around December 1, according to the American billionaire. It is indeed PepsiCo which will be the first beneficiary of these electric trucks as we can read on the Twitter account of the American sugary drink giant.
Quietly, Tesla’s future semi-trailer, soberly named the Tesla Semi, appears in a video shared by the American manufacturer. Could this be a sign that production is finally approaching?
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