√2023 Tesla Semi electric truck reservations paused, as specs fall short

Five years after Tesla unveiled its first heavy commercial truck, some details have changed, while others have disappeared altogether.

The 2023 Tesla Semi may not live up to its original hype, following updated specifications of the electric prime mover being published online.

Tesla has stopped taking reservations for the Semi without explanation, but new specifications detailed on the company’s website suggest the truck’s launch could be just around the corner, as CEO Elon Musk promised earlier this month – some five years after the vehicle was first unveiled.

The ability to reserve a Semi – with a deposit of $US20,000 ($AU29,000) required to do – has been disabled, but those who got in early will soon have the choice of a battery pack offering approximately 483 kilometres of range from a single charge, or a larger battery with an approximate range of 805km.

Earlier details showed the Semi would be offered with four electric motors, but the latest published information from the company has revised that number down to three.

The Semi’s charging capability also seems to have been scaled back when compared with earlier promises.

While Tesla originally said the Semi would be able to gain 644km of charge in 30 minutes using a ‘Megacharger’, the company now says 563km will be possible in the same time with a ‘Semi Charger’ – though exact details of these new charging stations haven’t been released.

Specifications of the Semi’s batteries also haven’t been disclosed, but rough calculations (based on range and a claimed consumption of less than 2kWh per mile) suggest the larger of the two will be around 1000kWh.

Design updates may also have made the prime mover less slippery than earlier iterations.

Tesla had originally claimed the Semi would be offered with an impressive drag coefficient of 0.36 – the same as a Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series – however, information on the truck’s aerodynamics is no longer available on the company’s website.

Regardless, the updated specifications point to a launch of the 2023 Tesla Semi in the coming months – as indicated by Musk – as the truck edges closer to production.

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