Tesla’s New Electric Freight Truck Is Probably Faster Than Your Car, Goes 0-100 KPH In 5 Seconds Flat

With all the attention towards the second generation Tesla Roadster, the true purpose of Elon Musk’s announcement is actually the all-new Tesla Semi, the company’s first ever freight truck.

And what a fast truck this is. Without the trailer, it can go from 0-100 kph in just 5 seconds, which is faster than the Subaru WRX (5.5 seconds) Honda Civic Type R (5.9 seconds), Porsche Cayenne V6 (6.2 seconds), Toyota 86 (7.2 seconds), Mazda MX-5 (7.2 seconds). Let that sink in for a moment. That sports car your uncle has that you’ve always blatantly bragged to your friends is slower than Tesla’s new truck. In a single charge, it can travel up to 800 kilometers, and in a 30 minute charge through Tesla’s soon to open Megachargers, it can travel up to 644 kilometers. Tesla touts this as a revolution of the truck, which he says will replace “dirty” diesel trucks once it goes into production.

With its trailer attached, and carrying its maximum 36.2 tonne payload, it can go from 0 to 100 kph in only 20 seconds, which is faster than any diesel truck currently operating on the world’s highways. This performance is all thanks to four independent electric motors powering the four rear wheels. Thanks to the electric motors to be able to operate independently, the occurrence of jacknifing is said to be completely impossible to happen.

Despite being Tesla’s first attempt at making a truck, they say the truck will be able to last for up to 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers), which is more reliable than any diesel truck in existence.

Inside, the Tesla Semi’s driving position is unconventional, with the driver placed in the middle of the truck. This is said to be advantageous in terms of rollover mitigation and handling, as the truck’s center of gravity is really concentrated in the center spine of the truck. Two screens flank both sides of the driver, which by design, is similar to the Tesla Model 3’s. As expected, the Tesla Semi will be fitted with Tesla’s enhanced version of its Autopilot, which will make this one of the most convenient and safest trucks to operate, thanks to Tesla’s semi-autonomous driving technology.