The Tesla Semi is allowed to be heavier than other trucks. Here's why
Electric tractor trailer has to haul an extra load
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Tesla Semi will be finally be hitting the road soon.
Elon Musk announced via Twitter on Thursday that the first of the all-electric trucks will be delivered to PepsiCo on December 1, more than five years after it was first unveiled.
"500-mile range & super fun to drive," he wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}That's exactly the range it's been advertised with, along with the ability to accelerate to 60 mph in 20 seconds while "fully loaded at 82K pounds gross combination weight."
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The Tesla Semi has an advertised range of 500 miles per charge. (Tesla)
But that's more than the federal 80,000-pound limit for a Class 8 tractor trailer, so what exactly is going on?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Well, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, signed by President Trump in 2019, included a provision that allows "natural gas and electric battery vehicles" to carry an additional 2,000 pounds to account for the extra weight of their drivetrains.
This is particularly important for electric vehicles, which require huge battery packs to provide the power and range needed in a tractor trailer application.
Elon Musk first unveiled the Semi in 2017. (VERONIQUE DUPONT/AFP via Getty Images)
Tesla hasn't released the official size of the Semi's pack, but with a 500-mile range at less than two kilowatt-hours of energy used per mile, it could have a capacity near 1,000 kilowatt-hours.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The 100 kWh pack in a Tesla Model S weighs approximately 1,300 pounds, which suggests the Semi's is well over 10,000 pounds, even with the new, more energy-dense battery cell technology it uses.
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Part of that weight gain will be offset by the roughly 3,000-pound loss of the diesel powertrain used in a conventional truck, but it still adds extra weight to a vehicle where pounds are money.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Martin Daum, chairman of Freightliner and Western Star parent company Daimler, once suggested there was no way Tesla would be able to build a truck with the specifications that were being advertised.
"If Tesla really delivers on this promise, we’ll obviously buy two trucks — one to take apart and one to test because if that happens, something has passed us by. But for now, the same laws of physics apply in Germany and in California," Daum said in 2018.
The Freightliner eCascadia is advertised with a maximum range of approximately 230 miles. (Freightliner)
Freightliner has since introduced the eCascadia Class 8 semi, which is also allowed to be used in an 82,000-pound combination and has a battery pack and range that are each around half that of the Tesla's.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}PepsiCo has reserved at least 100 of the trucks, which were originally listed for $180,000 and qualify for a $40,000 federal tax incentive.
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Musk did not say how long it will take to fulfill the full order.