— Fred Lambert (@FredericLambert) December 2, 2022 Okay, it’s powerful, but can it travel long distances? Well, yes it can. Tesla promised a range of 500 miles with a full load five years ago, and it delivered on the promise. Tesla shared data on a 500-mile trip with a full load of just under 82,000 lb. total with the tractor. It started out in the Bay Area with a 97% state of charge and ended up in San Diego with still 4% charge: Tesla reiterated that it can achieve a less-than-2 kWh-per-mile efficiency, which means that trucking companies can achieve up to $70,000 in fuel savings per year depending on their cost of electricity. Once the battery pack is depleted after 500 miles or so, you can expect blazing-fast charging thanks to the new 1-megawatt charging technology developed by Tesla. The automaker also said it will make it to the Cybertruck. I felt like I was back in 2012 with the event as Elon Musk was again listing some basic benefits of electric vehicles that people coming from internal combustion engines wouldn’t necessarily be familiar with, like truck drivers who haven’t had the opportunity to go electric just yet. Things like regenerative braking, which can greatly improve safety in trucks, and the millisecond reaction time of electric motors, resulting in greater traction control. Tesla also unveiled several quality-of-life features for Tesla Semi drivers like an automatic suspension dump for easy latching to trailers, a cabin that you can stand in, and easy light checks for inspections. There’s no doubt that the interior of the vehicle is cool and quite a change compared to most diesel trucks on the market today. Now these machines are in the hands of customers for the first time starting with Pepsico/Frito Lay. Electrek’s Take There was no major surprise out of the event aside from maybe that the Cybertruck will have the same charging technology, but that’s not really about the Tesla Semi. It felt like it was more about delivering on the promises made five years ago, and they mostly did that, to their credit. There are only two major points that Tesla didn’t discuss that I think are important and we should know about: the price and the weight. Tesla didn’t update the price, which originally was $200,000. I have a feeling that it might have changed after five years, but no word from Tesla about it. Top comment by morrisg