EVwire brief: In a first for a Class 8 truck, Tesla's production Semi steers electrically instead of relying on the hydraulic compressors and fluid lines conventional trucks use.
Removing that hydraulic hardware makes the system lighter and quieter, according to Tesla, while also giving it more precise, redundant control by design. The company frames the same electric architecture as a foundation for the autonomous driving features it plans to add to Semi down the line.
Here’s how the Semi’s steering system looked, as per Tesla VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy and Semi Program Lead Dan Priestley’s presentation during the Tesla Semi’s rollout event:
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During the event, Moravy highlighted that the system reuses steer-by-wire technology Tesla first built for Cybertruck:
“We actually use the technology that we first developed with Cybertruck for a full steer-by-wire system to make it autonomous ready, but also to give the driver something that they don't normally get, which is immensely quick response. You know, one of the things when you're driving a truck is you want to be able to put it where you know, you got 80,000 lbs in the in the back there.
“You want to be able to put it where you want it to go. And with the electric power steering system we have, if you guys have gotten a chance to drive it, or if you haven't, your drivers are going to be super happy because it is the most precise steering system I've ever seen on a Class 8 truck.”
Priestley stated that the precision provided by electric steering shows up most in tight maneuvering:
“You can really put the thing where you want to. Couple that with precise throttle control as well as then a wheel cut that actually lets the truck have nearly the same turning radius as our Model Y and it is a dream to maneuver in those tight situations, whether you're talking urban or you're like doing loading dock maneuvers, like you can really put the truck where you want to and get it down to that last little bit and squeak everything out.”
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Context:
Even before the event, drone footage of the Semi Factory revealed a fleet of customer Semis waiting to be handed over. The customer lineup outside the factory also gives a glimpse of how broad Tesla's Semi customer base has become. The vehicles featured logos from PepsiCo, US Foods, Einride, LTS, Nevoya, OK Produce, ABF Freight, DHL, WattEV, IMC Logistics and HMD.
Just two days before the event, ZET SCALE announced a 2,500-truck electric Class 8 program with Tesla selected as its primary OEM, with deployments planned across 10 major freight hubs. Forum Mobility has separately announced four new California heavy-duty charging depots adding 30 MW of capacity, including three sites where Tesla will operate public Megachargers, while more than 330 Tesla Semis have contracted fleet offtake at Forum's FM Santa Fe depot in Rancho Dominguez.
Source: Tesla Semi on X
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