Tesla Semi (EV) (and a new Roadster!)

[Dr Mordrid]

Would an Autobot be too much to ask for?

An electric semi truck. There may be some cross development going on here with Daimler's electric truck project - its head moved to Tesla a couple years ago.

John Gardi frequently gets inside information from Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, etc.

Webcast: 8PM PT, 11PM ET

Elon Musk ✔@elonmusk
Tesla Semi Truck unveil to be webcast live on Thursday at 8pm! This will blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension. Just need to find my portal gun ...
4:30 PM - Nov 12, 2017

Just A. Tinker @John_Gardi
#Tesla fans
Coming soon, like this Thursday... #TeslaSemi!
4:55 PM - Nov 13, 2017

[UtwigMU]

Tesla has problems ramping up production of 3 sedan. Developing innovative ideas is different from getting logistics and engineering for production ramp-up in place. So they need more positive news as they have issued bonds and to sustain stock.

Autonomous trucks are coming and other companies are also working on them, I remember Volvo having worked on this. I also know a thing or two about trucking business. Here leasing of truck (7y life) and trailer (10y life) costs around 20k/y while driver gross annual salary is around 30k/y. This is why many companies in EU moved HQ to Romania and so that they can employ drivers for less. Driver is still more than half of cost.

I debated Tesla with my friend who is really into finance and accounting. He said that Tesla may be overvalued but that historically people who bet against companies where customers drive demand were on the loosing side.

[Dr Mordrid]

Ramping Model 3 production is different than most other changeovers, Tesla is almost completely automating production and having the line run at a very high speed. Getting it right now could save a lot of trouble with future models based on the Model 3 chassis; the Model Y crossover and Pickup.

To facilitate this they recently acquired one of the main companies making their automation hardware. Direct vs indirect control.

The Tesla Semi has, um, connections to the Daimler electric semi program.

[Dr Mordrid]

Short clip on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbh-PIjg2KT/

[Dr Mordrid]

A little from the Semi (and new Roadster) introduction tonight,

Tesla Semi

4 motors
0-60 in 5 seconds, 0-60 in 20s with an 80klb load (36.287 tonnes)
Super aerodynamic
Up to 500 mile range
Center-seated driver
Cab interior 6' 6" high (1.981m)
Comes in space gray
$5000 for a reservation
Production in 2019

Tesla ✔@Tesla
Tesla Semi drivetrain is guaranteed to last 1M miles = to more than 40 trips around the earth
11:52 PM - Nov 16, 2017



Elon Musk ✓ @elonmusk
0 to 100 km/h in 1.9 sec https://t.co/xTOTDGuwQj

Roadster: up to 1,000 km range, 2+2
250 mph

[Dr Mordrid]

Tesla ✔@Tesla
View from the cockpit
11:40 PM - Nov 16, 2017

[VJ]

Nice!

I'm a bit puzzled why they claim center seating position is better for visibility. The roads are not symmetrical, and for example when seated on the left you have a better angle to see what is in a sidestreet to your right. Of course, such trucks will most likely drive mainly on big roads where that type of visibility is less of an issue.

I also wonder if it meets the restrictions for Europe. Here, almost all trucks are cab-over, as there is a limit on the maximum length of the truck. This seems to be a longer construction than a standard cab-over, but it may be an illusion. (the trailer seems to be closer)

[Dr Mordrid]

There are center-driver vehicles, not the least of which are open-wheel racing cars and 3 seater McLaren F1.

One aspect of visibility that people don't pay much attention to is the windshield post at your 10 or 2 O'Clock viewing position. Being in the center, and was a wrap around windshield, those posts will be further from the center of your visual field.

Another advantage for Semi or other commercial vehicles would be no need to make two versions, one for left-hand-drive and one for right-hand-drive countries. One and done.

Wal-Mart just reserved a fleet of 15 Tesla Semi's for evaluation.

Knowing our regional hypermarket, Meijer, they'll probably be next. They have gigantic distribution centers which serve the entire Upper Midwest, and a company trucking fleet to hold the goods around. The Semi's range would be perfect for their operation.

[VJ]

There are center-driver vehicles, not the least of which are open-wheel racing cars and 3 seater McLaren F1.

Yeah, but race tracks are symmetrical (no right/left lane) and no need to give way from the right or so.

Still, the A-pillar visibility is a good argument. And the side windows look low enough to make sure there is no bigger dead spot below them. The screens look a bit like they may cause a blind spot front-left and front-right (where a pedestrian could be unseen), but that maybe due to the way the photos are made.

[Dr Mordrid]

Confirmed,

Besides the Wal-Mart test fleet,

JB Hunt Transport Services has reserved "several" Semi's for their west coast test fleet.

Michigan's Meijer hypermarket chain has reserved Semi's for their test fleet. Meijer covers the Midwest and Great Lakes states with stores often larger than Wal-Mart.

[Dr Mordrid]

Largely unmentioned in the coverage is that two truck chassis were on stage that evening. One is the Class 8 monster truck, and the other is likely a Class 7 like the F-750 etc. with trailer capability. If this is a smaller Tesla chassis I'm betting the pickup is based on it, but with 2 motors rather than 4 motors and one less axle.

A little image processing brought it out from the shadows. Original stage photo top, another view on the bottom.

From September,

Jason Cruickshank @JayCruicks_ATC
Replying to @elonmusk
Can we get a light duty pickup next?

Elon Musk ✔@elonmusk
What if we just made a mini version of the Tesla Semi?
>
Its a pickup truck that can carry a pickup truck
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Youll actually be able to legally drive that with a drivers license. Its kind of wrong, but I like it.

[Dr Mordrid]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-t...-idUSKBN1FM0I9

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But Reuters has learned that Tesla is collaborating with Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo and United Parcel Service Inc to build on-site charging terminals at their facilities as part of the automakers efforts to roll out the vehicle next year.

Details of the partnerships, which have not been disclosed previously, are still being hammered out, but include design and engineering from Tesla, the companies said. They declined to disclose what portion of the building costs, if any, Tesla would pay, or whether Tesla would be compensated for its work.

The firms are among nine major corporations that have placed pre-orders for Teslas truck, dubbed the Semi.
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PepsiCo, which has reserved 100 Tesla trucks, said it may eventually explore sharing facilities and costs with other companies. The food conglomerate has held multiple meetings with Tesla to discuss the recharging effort, said PepsiCo executive Mike OConnell.
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Separately, in a high-tech twist on the traditional truck stop, Tesla is moving ahead with plans for its own stations to sell electricity to truckers who pull up for a charge, according to customers and transportation industry executives who have discussed the matter with the Silicon Valley automaker.
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[Dr Mordrid]

[Dr Mordrid]

Walmart Canada has increased their initial order of Tesla Semi to 130 units. This Electrek article reveals some interesting specs,

https://electrek-co.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/electrek.co/2020/09/29/tesla-tsla-secures-order-tesla-semi-electric-trucks-walmart/amp/

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In a press release, Walmart cites the following sustainability and safety features as “key highlights on the new Tesla Semi electric trucks”:

• Tesla Semi consumes less than two kilowatt-hours of energy per mile at Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and highway speed, significantly reducing operating costs per mile compared to diesel.

• 500 miles range allows a driver to go to their destination and back without recharging (500 mile range at maximum weight at highway speed)

• Capable of 0-60 mph in 20 seconds with a full 80,000-pound load and can climb 5 per cent grades at a steady 65 mph (compared to 45mph for same grade in a diesel truck)

• Regenerative braking technology recovers 98 per cent of kinetic energy to the battery

• Surrounding vehicle cameras and sensors aid object detection and minimize blind spots, automatically alerting the driver to safety hazards and obstacles

• Additional driver safety features including Automatic Emergency Braking, Automatic Lane Keeping, Lane Departure Warning

Walmart notes that the range of 500 miles on a single charge is one of the main reasons they chose to go with the Tesla Semi:

“The ability to travel 500 miles per charge is in line with Walmart Canada’s general fleet system, which consists mainly of single day round trips – allowing for the ability to convert from diesel at a faster pace. The enhanced driver safety features also offer a significant opportunity for the company to continue to address this critical issue.”
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