Check out the acceleration of Tesla's Semi Truck

[midian182]

Elon Musk says Tesla’s semi truck is fast—and not just ‘fast for a truck.’ It can go from zero to 60 mph in 5 seconds, or twenty seconds while carrying 80,000 pounds. To give you an idea of its acceleration, check out the video above.

YouTuber Richard Fielder posted the clip, which shows a Tesla Semi prototype driving down a street in an industrial area of the Bay Area where they are being tested. As you can see—and hear— in the video, the class 8 truck blasts down the road once it passes the 25 mph speed limit sign.

It was back in April 2017 when Musk said Tesla was planning to unveil its electric semi truck in September. While he may have been a month out, the company did reveal the vehicle, along with what it then claimed to be the “fastest production car in the world,” at the end of the year.

The Tesla Semi starts at around $150,000 for a model with a range limited to 300 miles. A version with a 500-mile range is available for an extra $30,000. There will also be a Founders Edition available that comes with a price tag of $200,000, which guarantees you one of the first 1000 off the production line.

Musk said the average cost of operating a Tesla Semi, which has a motor for each wheel, will be 85 cents per mile, cheaper than the average cost of $1.51 for diesel trucks. He added that controlling one of the vehicles is simple. “I can drive this thing, and I have no idea how to drive a semi,” said the CEO.

Tesla says production of its semi truck will begin in 2019.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73417-check-out-acceleration-tesla-semi-truck.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Ohhhhh ..... especially great when hauling unstable explosives!

 

[Scorpionking20]

These things are awesome. Once the infrastructure spreads out more, it'll be great for everybody. Less getting stuck behind a Semi, because those guys aren't paid to drive slow...they wanna move some products.

 

[cliffordcooley]

I'm going to go ahead and say it. Duh, there is no load behind it.

 

[GreyFoxx]

I'm going to go ahead and say it. Duh, there is no load behind it.

0.o can't tell if this is sarcasm?

 

[netman]

The street in in Fremont, California where Tesla has a factory....Lucky there were no cops around, otherwise the truck driver would get a speeding ticket going over 25 miles an hour zone!

 

[netman]

"The Tesla Semi starts at around $150,000 for a model with a range limited to 300 miles."

300 miles empty or with 80,000 lbs load?!!! anything less than 300 miles range with load is useless...

 

[mailpup]

These things are awesome. Once the infrastructure spreads out more, it'll be great for everybody. Less getting stuck behind a Semi, because those guys aren't paid to drive slow...they wanna move some products.

A lot of trucking companies govern their trucks. That doesn't affect the independent trucker but for company trucks you might not see any change.

That said, 300 or 500 miles range doesn't work for OTR trucking, just local day hauling.

 

[IAMTHESTIG]

That was an overwhelmingly boring video... Doesn't Tesla have a freaking test track?

 

[Skyyy]

I think that's partly the advantage of not needing multiple gears. A regular truck would have plenty of torque with no trailer, but they still accelerate slowly as they shift between their low gears.

 

[j05hh]

But the semi was already moving....

 

[Nobina]

When has acceleration mattered in trucks?

 

[Theinsanegamer]

These things are awesome. Once the infrastructure spreads out more, it'll be great for everybody. Less getting stuck behind a Semi, because those guys aren't paid to drive slow...they wanna move some products.

A lot of trucking companies govern their trucks. That doesn't affect the independent trucker but for company trucks you might not see any change.

That said, 300 or 500 miles range doesn't work for OTR trucking, just local day hauling.

Local day hauling is also some of the filthiest, with all the start stops and an urban environment making clean air harder to come by and wrecking any semblance of fuel economy. While I feel electric will not be a OTR option for decades to come, electric makes way too much sense for local delivery, hence why companies like UPS and pepsi have been ordering these.

"The Tesla Semi starts at around $150,000 for a model with a range limited to 300 miles."

300 miles empty or with 80,000 lbs load?!!! anything less than 300 miles range with load is useless...

While I agree that tesla is being quite vague about range, many local day trucks only hit 150 miles a day, they spend a lot of time idling. Electric trucks wont be spending much energy when idling, and all the stopping can be taken advantage of via regenerative brakes.

 

[Boilerhog146]

When has acceleration mattered in trucks?

most loads or partial loads .you don't want acceleration like that .things have a tendency to move ,even when secured ,most tractor /trailer combos are OTR .gonna have to get that range up,whats the recharge time like ,can it take a full charge in a drivers sleep time? 6 -8 hours , some run team, a sleeper would be useless.

 

[mailpup]

There is more energy use in trucking than just driving. For example, in winter you need some energy for heating and, of course, in the summer you'll need A/C. You also need to run an air compressor for the truck and trailer air brakes. Without air pressure the brakes are locked. If the tractor is configured to use an electric brake of some kind, that's still energy needed and if the tractor doesn't use air brakes, then you'll have to have compatible trailers in several different configurations which still need to be designed and built. Some trucks use PTOs and those use energy too. I'm wondering if this other energy use is accounted for when calculating range.

 

[Boilerhog146]

There is more energy use in trucking than just driving. For example, in winter you need some energy for heating and, of course, in the summer you'll need A/C. You also need to run an air compressor for the truck and trailer air brakes. Without air pressure the brakes are locked. If the tractor is configured to use an electric brake of some kind, that's still energy needed and if the tractor doesn't use air brakes, then you'll have to have a compatible trailers in several different configurations which still need to be designed and built. Some trucks use PTOs and those use energy too. I'm wondering if this other energy use is accounted for when calculating range.

Not to mention reefer units.. and for LTL ,trying to maneuver a tractor and trailer around in city traffic , in some very tight confines ,would be a nightmare for many of the best ops.

and for any one that has never studied the regulation around the air brakes or the air brake system,the air pressure is used to actually release the brakes ,as opposed to applying the brakes,the springs apply the brakes,so in the event of a system failure, hose rupture ,etc,the springs apply the brakes automatically ,and would need to be backed off manually for the purpose of towing.or moving the equipment.the footvalve,(brake peddle) releases the air pressure to allow the brakes to apply...

I'm sure there would be an electric system setup in much the same way.can't start having these things running away,again...Heat is the enemy.in the event of an electrical failure the brakes would need to apply automatically,,so there would be a constant use of power just to keep the brakes released.

 

[captaincranky]

A lot of trucking companies govern their trucks. That doesn't affect the independent trucker but for company trucks you might not see any change.

The older "71" series GMC diesels came with governors, not to cap the top speed of the truck, but to avoid over-revving them. Nicknamed "screaming Jimmys", from the fact they were 2 cycle, so you got a power pulse from each cylinder, at each of its revolutions of the crankshaft, instead of one power pulse every other crank revolution, as in most everything else on the road

That said, 300 or 500 miles range doesn't work for OTR trucking, just local day hauling.

If Musk is quoting those numbers, you can bet they're under ideal conditions. You know, unloaded, driving on a very slight downslope.

The 300 miles limit is pretty much Phila to NYC and back, with some maneuvering around town, to a near dead battery.

 

[captaincranky]

most loads or partial loads .you don't want acceleration like that .things have a tendency to move ,even when secured ,most tractor /trailer combos are OTR .gonna have to get that range up,whats the recharge time like ,can it take a full charge in a drivers sleep time? 6 -8 hours , some run team, a sleeper would be useless.

Musk is an A-hole trying to take credit for the normal torque curves of an electric motor. They develop maximum power when they are stalled, (and also are at maximum current draw). So, pretty much any electric car company could turn in similar acceleration numbers, if they were of a mind to do so. But then, what would your reasonably expect but show boating, from a dolt who uses 200,000 pounds (+?) of rocket fuel, to stuff a Tesla into orbit.

As for reefer trailers, since those are owned by companies, and not owner-operators, you'll likely have to stop at the gas station even though you have an electric tractor, for quite some time,into the future.

Besides, I'm not sure how willing somebody shipping a trailer full of beef cross country, would or should be, to rely on a battery powered reefer.

 

[ShagnWagn]

"$200,000, which guarantees you one of the first 1000 off the production line"

Great, an extra $20k for the ones that will likely have the most bugs? no thanks

Serious question: Since semis typically need the most torque to climb hills on the highway, and electric motors lose torque as they go up in RPMs, how will these work in real-world conditions?