The commercial launch of the Tesla Semi, presented in prototype form at the end of 2017, was originally scheduled for 2019. However, three years later, the electric truck has still not reached the market. Elon Musk, CEO of the company, estimates that small-scale production will begin next year.
Meanwhile, the development of this long-awaited heavy vehicle continues to progress. As part of the process, Tesla is using some prototypes to carry out transportation work: in the last few hours, the US firm has uploaded a video to its social networks in which the truck can be seen being used to carry prefabricated charging stations to the circuit from Laguna Seca.
Tesla wants to create a Supercharger station on the legendary track to cover those customers who want to run their electric cars on track days and other events; not in vain, the brand has several sporty models to its credit (Roadster, Model S Performance, Model 3 Performance, Model S Plaid…) that users do not hesitate to put on the circuit.
Thanks to the Laguna Seca Superchargers, drivers will be able to quickly recover the charge lost during intense sessions on the track, allowing them to continue racing after a short break, as well as return home without fear of not having enough battery after a short break. have squeezed their vehicles in the mythical circuit.
The Tesla Semi accumulates a significant delay in its launch
Although the series production of the Tesla Semi will take place in Giga Texas, it will initially be built on a small scale at Giga Nevada, the battery plant that the company jointly operates with Panasonic. At the moment it is not very clear when the tooling will be transferred from one center to another since everything seems to indicate that the Texas facilities will initially focus on assembling the Model Y and Cybertruck.
Tesla plans to deploy a network of Megachargers on major US routes, which will allow shippers to cover long distances with the Semi. This network, similar in its approach to the aforementioned Superchargers, will be made up of much more powerful points, as they will allow the Semi to recover 80% of its range in half an hour.
Given that the vehicle’s battery pack will have around 500 kWh of capacity, the Megachargers may have more than 1 MW of power. In its most capable version, the Tesla Semi will have a real autonomy of more than 800 km. It is expected to use cells in 4680 formats like the ones that Model Y Texans already mount.
