Unveiled alongside the all-new Tesla Roadster is this hilariously-shaped truck called Semi. The new truck is said to deliver a better and safer driving experience for truck drivers as well as significantly reducing the cost of cargo transport compared to a regular diesel-powered truck.
As expected from Tesla, the forward-thinking carmaker has fitted the Semi with four electric motors on the rear axle, capable of propelling the unloaded truck from 0 to 96 km/h in just 5 seconds. Fully loaded with 3.6 tonnes and the Semi would still able to get to 96 km/h in an astonishing 20 seconds.
Thanks to a 200-kWh battery pack, the Semi is capable of covering 800 km in a single charge. Tesla claims that 80 per cent of freight in the U.S. is covered in less than 400 km which makes the Semi a highly feasible product. However, when plugged into new high-speed Megachargers, it will only take 30 minutes to give the battery pack 80 per cent of juice which roughly translates to 640 km.
Its superior range is not only achieved through a large capacity battery pack, but also through its design along with a host of high-tech wizardry like regenerative braking and negative torque. Its unique design gives an astonishing drag coefficient of 0.36 – half the average value of regular trucks. Elon Musk also cheekily compared his latest creation to the Bugatti Chiron, which by the way has a drag coefficient of 0.38.
Like with every Tesla vehicle, the Semi also boast high-levels of safety thanks to its Enhanced Autopilot system which bundles Automatic Emergency Braking, Automatic Lane Keeping, Lane Departure Warning and event recording. The Semi can also autonomously travel in a convoy, where one or several Semi trucks will be able to follow a lead Semi.
Production of the Semi will start in 2019 and interested parties can put a US$5,000 deposit down per truck. Tesla estimates that compared to a regular diesel truck over one million miles, the Tesla Semi will save owners up to US$200,000 (RM8.3 million).
IMAGE GALLERY
