Dailyinet

The Joe Rogen podcast with Elon Musk is a gift that keeps giving when it comes to Tesla tidbits. The CEO of the EV company himself revealed the capacity of the upcoming Semi truck and it is not what most analysts expected. It will be just 500 kWh.

In the words of the boss himself, “You want something in the order of probably a 500 kWh pack. What we have in the Model S and X is a 100 kWh pack and probably something like a 500 kWh pack in the Tesla Semi”
Musk however did not specify which configuration of the truck would get the 500 kWh power pack. But it is safe to assume he was referring to the lower priced one.

The Semi is expected in two different configurations, one that will have a 300 km range at $150,000 and another that will get up to 500 km for $180,000. Tesla is working towards a next year availability, with production slated for both the Giga Texas and Giga Nevada plants.

Even before making the surprising revelation, many pundits have panned the Semi for not being economically viable for the haulage business. They figured the weight of the battery needed to power such a weight-bearing vehicle would limit the range it can achieve. Even cuck Bill Gates, former Microsoft CEO, weighed in on the issue…

Batteries are a major factor in electric vehicle production. It eventually determines the weight, cost (about 30%) and range of the automobile. Hence, smaller batteries with higher energy densities are preferred.
Tesla however has found a way to improve its own batteries, now being twice more efficient than their competitors’. This means more range for the same weight. Their new battery, announced in September, uses a new 4680 cell setup, using what is called the tabless architecture. They had eliminated the tabs joining the battery cap and can to the anode/cathode, using a spiral structure that increases the number of possible connection points, thereby increasing efficiency.

This means the Semi can be outfitted with a power pack that is more suitable for the heavy work the truck is expected to do, while being lighter and cutting cost per kWh by 14%.
To achieve those ranges, Tesla has designed the battery pack to be integrated right into the Semi’s core structure, which will even improve the vehicle’s overall structural integrity. Combined with the elimination of negative mass, positioning the battery pack more efficiently will result in further gains in mileage. As a matter of fact, Musk has posited that it is within the realm of possibilities for future versions of the Semi to achieve 500 miles and 800 miles ranges.

Despite their feelings toward the Tesla Semi, analysts predict the electric truck business should be 54,000 vehicles strong by 2025, meaning Tesla will be able to sell the Semis as fast as they can make them.