Tesla has complemented the official web page of its all-electric truck called Semi with new exterior images, following up cabin photos released several days ago. The vehicle is slated to reach production in late 2022 and go on sale priced from $150,000.
The images reveal impressively sized side mirrors, new door handles, a black trim at the rear wall of the otherwise white cab, normal-looking front wheels and exposed rear wheels. Overall, compared to the early concepts, the vehicle looks more mundane and with less personality than it started with.
The driver still sits in the very middle of the cabin, though. The buttons for toggling the turn indicators and horn are represented as touch-sensitive controls on the steering wheel. There are two large displays and multiple charging ports for electronics.
When empty, the Semi needs 5 seconds to sprint from zero to 96.6 km/h (60 mph). Put in 36 metric tons of cargo (80,000 pounds), and it will still reach highway speed in 20 seconds. Depending on battery size, the range on a charge will vary from 483 to 805 kilometers (300 – 500 miles).
When Tesla introduced the Semi five years ago, CEO Elon Musk promised to begin production in 2019. Various issued led to the launch date being postponed time and again, so you will probably be justified to feel skeptical about the current ‘late 2022’ deadline.
Pre-orders have been running since May, with all interested buyers required to make a non-refundable deposit of $20,000.