On October 25, Teslarati, a Us-Based electric vehicle news website, reported that Tesla's electric Semi truck was officially approved for delivery. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that the agency has evaluated Semi and granted a certificate of eligibility to enter the commercial process. In early October, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said deliveries of the Semi would begin on December 1. The EPA said the 2023 Tesla Semi has officially received a certificate of compliance, which was issued on September 29 and is valid until December 31, 2023. The EPA confirmed that Semi will be added to the list of eligible heavy vehicles in January 2023.
Judging by Musk's description of the upcoming Tesla Semi electric truck, the billionaire entrepreneur is pretty sure he can disrupt the heavy-duty truck market. But while he trumpeted the long range of the electric truck, other details important to trucking companies remain unknown: How much does the Semi (without cargo) weigh? Can it deliver the same weight over the same distance as a diesel truck?
Musk said that each charge "will not sacrifice cargo capacity and can go for 500 miles." "Just to clarify, 500 miles means driving on flat ground, not climbing hills. The point is, it's a long-range truck, even with heavy loads.
That sounds good, but five weeks before the first Semi is delivered, the lack of public information about the electric truck's hauling capacity and weight (which can't exceed 82,000 pounds under U.S. road laws) may make large fleet operators hesitant to place an order. A picture of the Semi on Tesla's website shows the car weighs 82,000 pounds, including load, but it doesn't say whether it's the 500-mile version or the lighter 300-mile version Mr. Musk mentioned. Tesla didn't respond to a request for clarification.
Musk's truck comes five years after it was unveiled in November 2017 and three years after its original goal of being on the road in 2019. Tesla boasts fast acceleration, going from 0 to 60 MPH in 20 seconds (Musk said in his first demonstration that it took 5 seconds), but speed is less important to fleet operators than payload capacity and operating costs per mile.
Musk also claimed that Tesla could ship as many as 50,000 Electric SEMIs to North American customers in 2024, a volume that would make the brand one of the top suppliers in the region a little more than a year after its initial shipment. Currently, only truckmakers Freightliner and Paccar have more large truck shipments in North America. But given the weight of electric trucks, charging challenges, and unknown real-world performance, that may not be realistic.