After nearly six years of anticipation, real-world performance data of the Tesla Semi has been released. The data was made public as part of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency’s (NACFE) Run on Less program, where the sole Tesla Semi customer, Pepsico, reported various metrics from its Sacramento, California, location, according to Overdrive.
“For those of us following the Tesla Semi for years, the hype has always vastly exceeded the ability to evaluate whether the hype was real,” said Dave Mullaney, Principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Pepsico will continue to report on three Tesla Semis over 18 days, along with 20 other electric vehicle applications. Preliminary data suggests Tesla’s claim of a 500-mile range at 81,000 pounds may be credible.
Day one data revealed that Semi 1 covered 416 miles, pausing once for a 20-minute charge. Semi 2 posted a total of 376 miles, and Semi 3 logged 545 miles. The trucks were loaded to near the 80,000-pound limit.
“This truck may have been loaded more heavily as it showed a somewhat shorter range than Truck 1,” Mullaney noted.
Day two performance showed even more encouraging results, with Semi 2 clocking in 794 miles with under two hours spent charging.
Mike Roeth, Executive Director of NACFE, provided further details. “NACFE has verified that these are fairly fully loaded when they leave and stay fairly loaded. They’re not out there gaming Run on Less,” said Roeth.
According to Roeth, the Tesla Semis also have a charging advantage. Using Tesla’s proprietary chargers, they “charge incredibly fast, two to four times faster than any other available heavy truck.”
However, Roeth added that Tesla “hasn’t really worked through with a lot of utilities how to handle this fast charging.”
The initial runs occurred during cool mornings and hot afternoons, with no major wind or rain to contend with. Yet, Roeth believes that the data could open up various practical use-cases, even rivaling diesel trucks in certain conditions.
Run on Less announced on Monday, “The Tesla Semis at PepsiCo’s Sacramento Beverages depot have completed 384 miles on a single charge and 806 miles in a single 24-hour day, enabled by fast 750 kW charging.”
