Charged at 100%, it takes around 90 minutes, but charging at 70% gives you around 400 miles already. Unfortunately, it is somewhere in the middle. MotorTrend was not allowed to drive a Tesla Semi, but a driver from Frito-Lay noted the Semi does indeed handle like a car.
Tesla lists Tesla Semis range at 500 miles per charge, and CEO Elon Musk has also highlighted the fact that the car will consume just 2 kilowatt-hours of energy for each mile driven.
This is consistent with both Teslas 500-mile range claims, as well as the claims by the companys chief executive, Elon Musk, that the Tesla uses 2 kW per mile traveled. Elon Musk added the company had successfully completed its 500-mile range test on an electric Class 8 tractor between Fremont and San Diego, California, on Nov. 15.
Tesla had originally announced the Tesla Semi would have 500 miles (805 km) of range when fully charged, and that it could travel 400 miles (640 km) on a single charge of 80 percent within 30 minutes using the Teslas Solar-Powered Megacharger charging stations.
For instance, Tesla said five years ago its long-delayed electric Semi truck would be able to drive 500 miles on a battery charge, fully loaded, driving at 65 miles per hour. Since PepsiCo is using its Tesla Semi trucks in California just for now, Mike told Reuters, the megacharger stations are now being built at its facilities in Modesto and Sacramento.
To build these Megacharger stations, which are DC-fast charging 750-kilowatt stations, Tesla is providing design and engineering support for PepsiCo, and PepsiCo is using its own resources to construct Megacharger stations at its shipping and receiving locations.
Automotive publication MotorTrend noted the Tesla Semis Megachargers installed at the Modesto site can deliver about 750 kW, about triple the Tesla Supercharger V3 networks capacity.
As Automotive publication MotorTrend noted, the Modesto facility is an ideal location for Tesla Semi, since other eco-friendly vehicles are already used at the facility, such as the BYD 8Y yard tractor, the Peterbilt 220EV electric box truck, and Volvo VNL trucks powered by natural gas. At its shipping event, Tesla said that they will start installing V4 chargers in Supercharger locations next year.
Motortrend visited the Frito-Lay plant of PepsiCo, where it spoke to the companys representatives, a semi-truck driver, and Tesla representatives for further information. Tesla officially delivered its first electric Semi in an event Delivery Event at the plant outside of Reno, Nev.
Several drivers from Pepsicos 15 Semis, shown at the PepsiCo-Frito-Lay event, said that the trucks had 1,000 kilowatt-hours, or 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of battery storage, which is the equivalent of 10 Pliant batteries chained together.