Tesla’s electric semi truck won’t arrive on the market until 2020, but a video uploaded to YouTube gives us a glimpse at what the future holds.
Posted by Brandon Camargo, the seven-second clip shows a prototype Tesla Semi cruising down the suburban streets of Sunnyvale, California.
It may only be a few seconds long, but there’s a lot we can gather from the video. First, how the sleek vehicle sounds more like a Prius than something with an 80,000-pound towing capacity. It also has large antler-like mirrors, unlike the concept Tesla showed off during its unveiling. The company says its vision is to replace those mirrors with cameras once laws permit. The video also makes it very clear that, when it’s released, the Semi won’t look like any other truck on the road.
The Tesla Semi can go 0 to 60 mph in just five seconds or with a full load capacity in 20 seconds. Its battery can take it approximately 500 miles at highway speed before it needs to be recharged. With 80 percent of routes being shorter than 250 miles, the Semi could transport most drivers round trip without charging.
Tesla didn’t reveal the price of the Semi but said production would start in 2019. A number of companies have already placed orders to buy the electric big rig, including Walmart and UPS.