Waiting for 9 yearsTesla pure electric truck Semi, finally not futures.As soon as the new factory was completed recently, Semi's official website immediately announced new specifications, and the countdown to mass production has begun. The standard version has a driving range of 523 kilometers, which is higher than the 483 kilometers originally advertised nine years ago; the energy consumption is 1.06kWh/km, which is also lower than the original plan.
However, increasing the quantity also increases the price, and the price of the new car was subsequently exposed:$290,000One car, equivalent to RMB is approximately2 million yuan.
California in the United States immediately came forward to support and issued Semi purchase coupons, totaling$165 million(approximately 1.14 billion yuan).
Tesla reveals pure electric truck specifications
Recently, Tesla has updated the "Semi" page in the model options on its official website. It seems that the mass production and delivery of Semi has been put on the schedule.
In the new interface, Tesla divides the Semi intoStandard battery life versionandLong battery life version, and updated the latest production specifications of the two cars.
The two versions are identical in that they are both equipped with a rear axle3 independent motors, the driving power is up to 800kW, and the energy consumption is unified as1.7kWh/mile, which is about 1.06kWh/km.
At the same time, both versions also support the MCS 3.2 charging standard.(Megawatt-level high-power charging standard specifically used for large vehicles such as electric heavy trucks), charging for 30 minutes can replenish up to 60% of the cruising range.
The vehicle has also added electric power output (ePTO) information, with a maximum of 25kW; all have also reserved automatic driving interfaces.
Among the known parameters, the biggest difference is thatcruising rangeandcurb weight:
Standard EditionThe range is 325 miles (approximately 523 kilometers), and the curb weight is less than 20,000 pounds (approximately 9.07 tons), making it more suitable for short- and medium-distance or urban delivery scenarios;
Long battery life versionIt has a range of 500 miles (about 805 kilometers) and a curb weight of 23,000 pounds (about 10.43 tons), making it more suitable for long-distance trunk transportation.
and2017Compared with the concept first proposed, the parameters of this update have been slightly adjusted.
first isThe range of the standard version has been increased. The original envisioned range of the two versions was 300 miles (approximately 483 kilometers) and 500 miles (approximately 805 kilometers) respectively.
Secondly, the current energy consumption is also lower than before. The value given in 2017 was 2kWh/mile (approximately 1.24kWh/km). In other words, the current actual cost per mile has further dropped.
Then there are the motors. The previous idea was to have 4 independent motors, with more emphasis on ultimate performance. Now one is reduced, the structure is relatively simplified, and the manufacturing cost is relatively lower.
In addition, in terms of appearance, it is slightly different from before.
The front bumper has been redesigned with aerodynamic air scoops added. The windshield area is significantly reduced, and the package scope is significantly reduced.
The roof line is more rounded and smooth, and the transition between side skirts and wheel arches is also more optimized. This is also to further reduce the wind resistance coefficient and reduce energy consumption.
In 2017, Musk announced the starting price of a version with a 300-mile range.$150,000(approximately 1.037 million yuan), starting price for the 500-mile version$180,000(approximately 1.244 million yuan).
Now that the new version has undergone a series of upgrades, and it has been many years since the original concept was proposed, according to Tesla's past style, the price of Semi will most likely be higher than early publicity.
According to foreign media Electrek, a person familiar with the matter has obtained price information - the current price of the Semi long-life version is$290,000(excluding destination fees and taxes), equivalent to approximately RMB2 million yuan, about 10% higher than the price 9 years ago61%.
However, according to statistics from the California Air Resources Board, compared with electric semi-trucks of the same class in the United States, Tesla’s price is still significantly lower than the industry average ($435,000).
It seems that Semi may indeed have entered the eve of mass production and delivery.
Musk also recently confirmed on social platforms that Tesla semi-trucks will begin mass production this year.
Semi is long overdue, can it still be made in time?
Mass production has been postponed for 7 years
Thoughts on Tesla Semi, originally published onNovember 2017, planned to be officially put into production in 2019.
At that time, Tesla’s core mission was"Accelerating the world's transition to sustainable energy".
Trucks, especially heavy-duty trucks, have always had a problem, which is their huge fuel consumption and low electrification penetration rate at that time.
According to a research report by IHS that year, global heavy-duty trucks account for only a small part of the world's vehicles, but their oil consumption is roughly the same as that of small cars, accounting for about one-fifth of global oil consumption.
The field of truck electrification is of great significance to the energy transition. It is also a huge market with an annual scale of tens of billions of dollars. For Tesla, entering the heavy truck market is a key step in its expansion into the commercial vehicle field.
According to the assumptions at the time, the full life cycle cost of Tesla's electric trucks would be much lower than that of diesel trucks, and its energy costs might be only 1/3 to 1/2 of diesel trucks.
Strategically speaking, Musk set the "Second Ten-Year Plan" in 2016, and Semi is also an important step in "covering major ground transportation systems."
Moreover, Tesla’s accumulation in the fields of batteries, motors, electronic controls, and autonomous driving technology can also be directly transplanted to the heavy truck field to provide fleet operators with more efficient and economical tools.
However, despite the wonderful idea proposed for many years, the delivery time of Semi has been delayed again and again, and the difficulties are more than imagined.
The core obstacle lies inBattery.
In order for a heavy truck to carry a large load and travel a long distance, a huge battery pack is required, which directly drives up the cost and weight of the vehicle, and requires time to optimize battery technology and management systems.
One of the keys to Semi's ability to achieve cost reduction is the use of self-developed4680 battery. In reality, you may also know that due to the stuck battery dry electrode process, the supply of 4680 has never been able to keep up.
Another big challenge isCharge, heavy trucks require megawatt (MW) ultra-fast charging to replenish energy within a reasonable time.
However, building this dedicated charging network is a huge engineering and capital challenge, so the construction of megawatt charging stations is relatively slow.
Therefore, there are always doubts about the feasibility of huge battery capacity and ultra-fast charging network.
Even Bill Gates told Musk directly when he visited the Tesla factory that pure electric long-distance semi-trailer trucks“Not working”.
But Musk's answer was: "We already have one, you can drive one yourself." He also revealed that the food and beverage giantPepsiSemi truck is being used.
In fact, Pepsi is one of the first customers of Tesla Semi trucks, delivered in2022——Three years later than the original plan, it can be said to be one of the most difficult cars for Tesla to produce.
In addition, German logistics giant DHL is also a customer of Semi. DHL also confirmed to the media that its trucks operate in California every day, driving approximately100 miles(about 161 kilometers) and needs to be charged approximately once a week.
Some netizens said they had indeed seen Semi:
There's even a Semi (Pepsi version):
In addition, there is another problem that troubles Semi, that isCapacity.
After 2017, Tesla was trapped in the "capacity hell" of Model 3, and must prioritize resources and production capacity to ensure this "volume model." Semi's promotion resources could only be postponed until the Shanghai Gigafactory was put into production in 2020, and Tesla's production capacity pressure was relieved.
Now, the mass-produced version of Semi is about to be launched, which means that the biggest problem has been solved.
This happens to be in line with Tesla’s new trends some time ago——
The 4680 battery has overcome the final technical bottleneck, has begun production, and is installed in some Model Y models. Production will continue to be expanded in the two major factories this year.
Nevada, USASemi dedicated factory, construction will begin in 2024 and will be nearly completed by the end of 2025. According to Tesla executives, the Semi truck is currently in trial production at the factory.
When this factory is operating at full capacity, its annual output can reach a maximum of50,000 vehicles.
The batteries are available, the production capacity is ready, and the charging facilities can keep up. It seems that the countdown to Semi's mass production is really on.
I don’t know if the intended car owners are ready, but California has prepared “red envelopes”:
California clean truck incentive program set aside for Tesla Semi$165 million(approximately 1.14 billion yuan) HVIP car purchase vouchers, approximately 992, maximum amount$351,000(approximately 24.26 billion yuan).