As we reported last week and discussed on the Electrek podcast yesterday, many people still have a difficult time wrapping their head around the Tesla Semi specs that the company announced last year.
But now CEO Elon Musk says that he is ‘optimistic’ they can beat those specs with the production version of the electric truck.
Earlier this week, Daimler’s head of trucks suggested that the Tesla Semi specs defy the laws of physics and is passing them by if they are true.
The German automaker added itself to a long list of industry people with doubts about Tesla’s ability to deliver on those specs.
But Tesla is currently testing its electric truck with partners who get a better idea of the capacity of the machine.
Musk seems to be gaining confidence in the specs through the test program and yesterday, he commented on our article about DHL seeing greater potential savings than expected with the Tesla Semi:
“Am feeling optimistic about beating the Semi specs announced at the unveiling for the same price. The Tesla Semi will be something really special.”
-Elon Musk
Musk didn’t specify which specs in particular, but the article mainly involves the economics of operating a Tesla Semi, which is the most important thing for fleet operators.
Here are the main specs that Tesla revealed at the unveiling event:
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Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph with 80,000 lb: 20 seconds
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Speed up a 5% Grade:60 mph
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Mile Range: 300 or 500 miles
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Powertrain: 4 Independent Motors on Rear Axles
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Energy Consumption: Less than 2 kWh per mile
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Fuel Savings: $200,000+
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Expected Base Price (300 mile range): $150,000
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Expected Base Price(500 mile range): $180,000
Tesla estimates a payback period of about 2 years thanks to gas and maintenance savings.
