Class 8 electric truck
Semi
2017 unveiled / 2022 – presentIn productionClass 8 tractor unit, 2 seats
The electric truck that hauls 82,000 lb.
Overview
Tesla's Class 8 truck: three independent motors on the rear axle, under 2 kWh per mile, and a promised 20-second 0–60 mph fully loaded where a diesel takes about a minute. PepsiCo took the first customer trucks in December 2022.
The story
Tesla showed the Semi in November 2017 and promised a truck that would cost less per mile than diesel, accelerate like a car when empty and still haul 82,000 lb. It then went quiet for five years.
PepsiCo finally took delivery of the first customer trucks on 1 December 2022 at its Modesto bottling plant, and used them on real routes — including the run from Modesto to Sacramento, 425 miles round trip. Early data showed the trucks returning roughly 1.7 kWh per mile loaded.
In 2026 the Semi moved from pilot to volume order books: pricing was published, Megacharger installations scaled with fleet depots, and ZET SCALE — a partnership that includes Microsoft and PepsiCo — placed a 2,500-truck order, doubling the US electric Class 8 fleet and making it the biggest electric truck order ever placed.
Full specifications
Powertrain
- Motors
- Three independent motors on the rear axle, Model 3-derived
- Layout
- Rear-axle drive with independent torque per motor
- Energy use
- Under 2 kWh per mile — claimed roughly half a diesel's energy cost per mile
- Battery
- Structural pack under the cab and trailer link
Performance
- 0–60 mph
- About 20 s fully loaded, versus around 60 s for a comparable diesel
- Gradeability
- Maintains highway speed on a 5% grade fully loaded
- Gross combination weight
- 82,000 lb
- Brakes
- Regenerative braking handles most deceleration; air brakes as backup
Charging
- Megacharger
- Over 1 MW DC; up to 70% in around 30 minutes
- Site equipment
- On-site charging from $40,000 for a minimum of two
- Deployment
- Megachargers installed at fleet depots rather than public sites
Cab
- Seating
- 2 seats, centre driving position
- Displays
- Twin touchscreens flanking the steering wheel
- Safety
- Automatic emergency braking, surround cameras, electronic stability control
- Efficiency features
- Extended roof fairing and aero work on the Long Range truck
Production
- Unveiled
- 16 November 2017
- First customer
- PepsiCo, deliveries from 1 December 2022
- Built at
- Gigafactory Nevada and a dedicated high-volume line in Nevada
- 2026
- A 2,500-truck order from ZET SCALE, a Microsoft and PepsiCo fleet partnership — the largest electric Class 8 order ever placed
Records and firsts
- The first electric Class 8 truck to enter service with a volume customer fleet (PepsiCo, December 2022)
- The largest electric truck order in history — 2,500 units, announced 2026
- Claimed energy use under 2 kWh per mile, roughly a fifth of a diesel truck's fuel energy
- First Class 8 truck designed around a megawatt charging standard
Every version
| Version | Years | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Range | 2026– | $260,000 | 325 miles, aimed at regional routes |
| Long Range | 2026– | $290,000 | 500 miles, extended cabin and roof fairing |
| 2017 reservation spec | 2017 | $150,000 / $180,000 | The original 300-mile and 500-mile announcement |