Tesla has updated its official Semi website with the final specifications of the electric heavy-duty truck. Over three years after the first customer deliveries of pre-series trucks, it seems that the Semi is finally nearly ready for series production in Nevada in H1 2026.
As is often the case with Tesla, the Semi is entering the market much later than initially promised. It should have been ready by 2019, but as Tesla shifted its focus to mass-producing the Model Y and waited for battery technology to catch up, the electric heavy truck was put on the back burner.
Delays and broken promises
At the end of 2022, the first pre-series customer trucks were delivered to PepsiCo, but since then, things have been quiet again. Transport companies that placed their orders complained that Tesla was pushing back delivery dates and increasing pricing, which caused trouble as deadlines approached for subsidies. Now, it seems Tesla is finally ready to begin producing the Semi in Nevada, as promised at last year’s shareholder meeting.
Official specs and updated look
To prepare for online orders, Tesla has updated the Semi website to include the truck’s production-ready specs, which were also shown in an updated version last year. The production-ready models feature a new chassis and a redesigned nose, mirroring the updated Model 3 and Model Y passenger vehicles.
The Tesla Semi will be available in two variants: Standard Range, with up to 325 miles (523 km) of range on a full charge, and Long Range, with up to 500 miles (805 km) of range on a full charge. Both variants get three independent motors on the rear axle with a total power output of 800 kW (1,088 hp).
More payload than main rivals
Note that these range figures are calculated according to the US’s Class 8 heavy truck weight regulations, which stipulate a maximum gross vehicle weight of 82,000 pounds (37.2 tonnes). European heavy trucks can weigh up to 40-44 tonnes, so expect a slightly lower real-world range here.
The tare weight of the Tesla Semi Standard range is “under 20,000 pounds” (9.07 tonnes), while the Long Range weighs in at 23,000 pounds (10.43 tonnes), leaving a payload of 45,000 to 48,000 pounds (20 to 21 tonnes).
That is slightly better than European rivals like the Mercedes eActros 600, which achieves a payload of 22 tonnes on a 44-tonne combination.
Both variants of the Semi are compatible with megawatt charging (MCS), which can recover up to 60% of the charge in 30 minutes. Note that Tesla does not yet communicate the official battery capacity of the Semi, but it is estimated to be around 900 kWh for the Long Range variant.
What will it cost?
As for pricing, Tesla previously promised a base price of $150,000 (€125,900) for the Semi, $180,000 (€151,000) for the Long Range version, and $200,000 (€167,800) for the Founders Series trucks.
But documents obtained by the LA Times and customer statementssuggest that the price has nearly doubled to $260,000 (€218,100) for the Standard Range model and $300,000 (€251,700) for the Long Range Semi.
We’ll have to wait and see when Tesla officially opens online ordering for the Semi, which should happen in the coming months.
