(Reuters) – Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Elon Musk handed over the company’s first rugged semi to PepsiCo (PEP.O) on Thursday. I was able to carry it.
Speaking on stage at an event at Tesla’s Nevada factory, Musk said battery-powered long-haul trucks would cut emissions on highways, outperform existing diesel models in power and safety, and could be used by Tesla in-house. said it will spin off fast-charging technology. Upcoming Cybertruck pickup.
“If you’re a trucker and want the most powerful rig on the road, this is it,” Musk said, noting that it’s been five years since Tesla announced the development of an all-electric truck. Still, industry experts are skeptical that battery-powered electric trucks can economically bear the burden of hauling heavy loads hundreds of miles.
When Musk first revealed Tesla since buying Twitter (some investors fear the acquisition was a distraction), Tesla didn’t announce a price for the Semi. , did not provide details of the truck variant it had originally projected, nor did it provide any projections for deliveries to PepsiCo. other customers. Tesla said it will start using the Semi to ship parts to its Fremont, Calif., factory.
Tesla said in 2017 that the 300-mile-range version of the Semi would cost $150,000 and the 500-mile version would cost $180,000, but prices for electric cars in Tesla’s passenger cars have skyrocketed since then. increase.
Tesla Chairman Robin Denholm recently said the automaker could build 100 semis this year. Musk said Tesla aims to produce 50,000 of his trucks by 2024.
PepsiCo, which completed its first shipment in a Tesla truck to deliver refreshments to people attending a launch event in Nevada, ordered 100 trucks in 2017.
Brewer-Anheuser-Busch (ABI.BR), United Parcel Service (UPS.N) and Wal-Mart (WMT.N) have booked the Semi. Tesla didn’t provide details on orders or deliveries to customers, or an estimate of what the total cost of ownership would be for future buyers compared to diesel alternatives.
“Unimpressive”
Musk said the Semi is conducting test drives between Tesla’s Sparks, Nevada, and Fremont, Calif., factories. Tesla said he completed 500 miles of driving on a single charge, and the combined weight of the semi and cargo is 81,000 pounds for him.
Tesla did not disclose the weight of the unloaded cicada. It’s one of the key specs the analyst wanted to know, he said, as well as a key consideration for the efficiency of electric trucks.
Musk has talked about the possibility of fully self-driving trucks in the past. Tesla didn’t provide details on how Tesla’s driver assistance system will work in the Semi, which was unveiled Thursday, or in future versions.
[1/5] Tesla CEO Elon Musk waves near the Tesla Semi electric truck during the live-streamed unveiling ceremony in Nevada, USA, December 1, 2022 (this still image from the video).Tesla/handout via Reuters
As is often the case at Tesla events, the semi-delivery presentation ended without Mr. Musk asking any questions.
“It’s not very impressive,” said Oliver Dixon, senior analyst at consulting firm Guidehouse. said.
Tesla originally set a 2019 production target for the Semi, which was first announced in 2017. Since then, rivals have started selling their own battery-powered trucks.
Daimler’s (MBGn.DE) Freightliner, Volvo (VOLVb.ST), startup Nikola (NKLA.O) and Renault (RENA.PA) are Tesla’s competitors to develop alternatives to internal-combustion-powered trucks.
Walmart (WMT.N), for example, said it is testing Freightliner’s eCascadia and Nikola’s Tre BEV trucks in California.
“Like a cheetah”
Musk said the Semi can charge at 1 megawatt and the latest version of Tesla’s Supercharger, which will be available in the Cybertruck, has liquid cooling technology in its charging cable. Cyber truck he plans to start production in 2023.
According to Tesla, trucks in the semi category make up only 1% of U.S. vehicle sales, but account for 20% of all vehicle emissions.
Tesla said other future vehicles would use powertrain technology developed for the Semi without providing details. Semi uses his three electric motors developed for Tesla’s performance version of the Model S. He only has one motor working at highway speeds and he has two motors in case the truck needs to accelerate. This makes the truck more energy efficient. .
“This is a lot stronger than a diesel truck,” Musk said. “It’s basically like an elephant moving like a cheetah.”
In slides shown as part of Musk’s presentation, Tesla showed an image of a future “robo-taxis” it’s working on, along with a mockup of a futuristic car covered in tarpaulin.
The presentation came after Tesla shares closed at $194.70. The stock has fallen about 45% so far this year, losing about $500 billion in market capitalization to about $615 billion.
Among the factors cited by investors were Musk’s sale of Tesla shares to finance the acquisition of Twitter, signs that the slowing global economy has begun to reduce demand for Tesla’s premium-priced cars, and the company’s such as a warning that may miss the target. This year he aims to increase deliveries by 50%.
Reporting by Akash Sriram from Bangalore and Hyunjoo Jin from San Francisco.Editing by Kenneth Maxwell
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