EVwire brief: Tesla is developing a conductive charging system for the Semi, which is aimed at achieving a zero-penalty workflow for the Class 8 all-electric truck.
In a recent episode of Jay Leno’s Garage, Tesla Semi program lead Dan Priestley and Design Chief Franz von Holzhausen explained several key details of the vehicle's updated version, which will enter high-volume mass production this year in Nevada.
It took a while, but the Tesla Semi is really entering high-volume mass production this year
Among the most noticeable details that were shared in the recent Jay Leno’s Garage video was the Semi’s charging system, specifically its future capabilities.
According to the Tesla executives, the company’s strategy centers on fitting the charging cycle into existing federal labor requirements rather than forcing new stops. By utilizing 1.2 MW Megacharging, the Semi can recover 60% of its range (300 miles) in exactly 30 minutes.
The idea is... you do that during your mandatory 30-minute break... there’s no penalty for charging. You’re never stopping exclusively for charging.
The future of this system is conductive charging, which would remove cables altogether.
Tesla is working on a "drive-over" solution, similar to tech being developed for the Cybercab, where the truck pulls into a bay and connects automatically without driver intervention.
That system will make the Tesla Semi’s charging significantly more convenient than traditional fuel stops.
The Tesla Semi’s Cybertruck-inspired improvements
To support 50,000-unit annual scale, the Semi’s production chassis has been migrated to a 48V low-voltage architecture and stripped of 1,000 lbs of "pilot-phase" mass.
This weight reduction, coupled with a 7% gain in aero efficiency (now 0.4), allows the 500-mile Semi variant to achieve payload parity with diesel trucks.
The Semi now utilizes 4680 cells, the same chemistry found in the Cybertruck, which are engineered for a 1-million-mile lifespan. The vehicle also swapped out its original hydraulic steering for a fully electric assist using "beefed-up" Cybertruck actuators.
A lot of the improvements that were implemented in the Semi were from the Cybertruck
Safety is being handled through a "software-first" approach, with the truck utilizing Tesla’s integrated vision and control suites to manage stability and traction.
A new heat pump system also uses waste thermal energy from the motors to maintain battery health and cabin climate in extreme cold.
Elon Musk biographer Ashlee Vance highlighted some of these updates in a recent YouTube Short featuring his tour of the Semi factory with Dan Priestley:
The Tesla Semi’s pilot program has been successful so far. Tesla currently reports a 95% uptime rate across its 13.5-million-mile pilot fleet, which includes a lead truck that’s closing in on 400,000 miles with its original battery pack.
Among the Tesla Semi units that have experienced a breakdown, about 80% were returned to their owners within 24 hours. Approximately 50% of all service issues with the fleet have also been resolved in an hour by mobile technicians.
Source Jay Leno’s Garage and Ashlee Vance on YouTube
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