Elon Musk is 'optimistic' about beating Tesla Semi specs that competitors already don't believe possible
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.
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:
- Acceleration from 0 to 60 mph with 80,000 lb: 20 seconds
- Speed up a 5% Grade:60 mph
- Mile Range: 300 or 500 miles
- Powertrain: 4 Independent Motors on Rear Axles
- Energy Consumption: Less than 2 kWh per mile
- Fuel Savings: $200,000+
- Expected Base Price (300 mile range): $150,000
- Expected Base Price(500 mile range): $180,000
Tesla estimates a payback period of about 2 years thanks to gas and maintenance savings.
Musk is talking about beating those specs, which would be even more impressive.
My greatest concern is cost. Tesla doesn’t confirm its current battery cost, but it is estimated to be somewhere around $150 at the pack level.
The same cost for a 1 MWh battery pack, which would be required for Tesla to achieve a 500-mile range, would be $150,000.
There are likely going to be some cost improvements at the pack level due to the greater size, but it looks like a cost breakthrough (something closer to the mythical $100 per kWh battery holy grail) is almost needed for Tesla to make it work.)
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