Manufacturing of the Tesla Semi is underway following the truck’s unveiling in 2017, with the primary examples delivered to clients late final 12 months. Whereas he isn’t precisely the goal buyer, Jay Leno just lately received to take the battery-powered semi-trailer truck for a spin for the most recent episode of his “Jay Leno’s Storage” on-line collection.

The Semi arrived at Leno’s well-known California storage accompanied by Tesla design boss Franz von Holzhausen and Tesla senior supervisor of semi-truck engineering Dan Priestley to elucidate the genesis of the venture.

The thought got here from then-CTO JB Straubel (who later left Tesla to begin battery-recycling agency Redwood Supplies), Priestley explains within the video. Straubel felt that delivery battery packs from Tesla’s Gigafactory plant in Reno, Nevada, to its car plant in Fremont, California, in diesel vans was opposite to the corporate’s mission of zero-emission transportation. With encouragement from one other Tesla govt who beforehand labored at truck maker Freightliner, the thought ultimately “snowballed” right into a production-bound venture, Priestley mentioned.

Whereas Tesla has no earlier expertise with industrial autos, and the Semi has some unorthodox design options like a central driver’s seat, von Holzhausen tells Leno the design course of was knowledgeable by conversations with truck drivers.

The entrance corners of the Semi had been designed to be simply repairable since they’re additionally the most definitely to be broken. And whereas the Semi has about the identical experience peak as a diesel semi truck, designers tried to make it simpler to get in an out of the cab—together with added suicide doorways. Falling off a truck is the primary supply of trucker employee’s compensation claims, Priestley mentioned. And that centered driver’s seat allegedly improves visibility.

Tesla advertises 300-mile and 500-mile variations, with power consumption of lower than 2 kwh per mile and DC quick charging that may restore 70% of a truck’s vary in half-hour. Priestley claims Tesla is utilizing the vans to haul batteries from Nevada to California on the very same schedules as diesel vans. Tesla can also be claiming $200,000 in financial savings over three years from gasoline prices alone, which ought to make the Semi enticing to operators.

A 3-motor powertrain can preserve the Semi rolling at freeway velocity limits up a 5% grade, Tesla claims, and propel the truck from 0-60 mph in 20.0 seconds at its most 82,000-pound gross weight. And not using a trailer behind it, the tractor can dash from 0 to 60 mph in 5.0 seconds. These claims aren’t challenged on this check drive, however the Semi does tow one other Semi, for a gross weight of about 60,000 to 70,000 lbs.

Manufacturing was initially scheduled to begin in 2019, however that was pushed again as a consequence of restricted availability of battery cells, provide chain points, and the choice to prioritize Mannequin Y manufacturing at Tesla’s Texas manufacturing facility. Tesla introduced the begin of deliveries in December 2022. Priestley says within the video that 60 to 70 vans have been constructed since then. Tesla plans to get suggestions and make adjustments earlier than absolutely ramping up manufacturing, he added. Tesla’s Nevada plant is getting a $3.6 billion improve for expanded Semi manufacturing.