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Tesla finally delivers its first production Semi
Five years after CEO Elon Musk officially unveiled his Semi, Tesla’s electrified tractor trailer, the company delivered its first official production vehicle to Pepsi on Thursday.
Musk says Tesla's electric Semi truck has started production
The company expects to make its first deliveries in December, with Pepsi being the recipient.
Tesla starts taking Semi truck reservations, five years later
Tesla is taking reservations for its Semi truck — five years after the electric big rig was unveiled.
Why Tesla is delaying the Semi EV until 2022
Tesla representatives confirmed previous reports that its commercial EV project, Semi, will be delayed until 2022.
Tesla pushes back Semi truck release to 2022
Tesla has delayed the Semi's launch again due to battery cell shortage and supply chain issues.
'PUBG Mobile' update adds a self-driving Tesla Model Y
The newest 'PUBG Mobile' update adds a slew of Tesla tie-ins, including a self-driving Model Y and a Gigafactory.
Tesla is ready to mass-produce the Semi, Elon Musk says
In an email to staff, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said it’s time to bring the Tesla Semi to “volume production.”
Tesla delays Semi electric truck to 2021
Tesla has once again pushed back the Semi's release, with deliveries of the electric big rig now set for 2021.
Daimler's first large electric semi trucks are ready to roll
Daimler has spent ages talking about electrifying its trucks, and now it's ready to deliver in a very literal way. The automaker has completed the first two units of its heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia semis destined for customers. They're not final production models -- they're still part of Freightliner's testing-oriented Innovation Fleet -- but they should see real-world use by Penske and NFI later in August. More deliveries are due in 2019.
Apple hires former Tesla and Microsoft senior designer
Apple has hired Andrew Kim, formerly of Tesla and Microsoft, to bolster its design team. Kim captured the attention of many in 2011 with a custom iOS device stand and again in 2012 when, as a fan, he shared his vision for an overhaul of Microsoft's branding and design language. He then joined Microsoft and helped design the Windows 10 UI along with HoloLens and Xbox One S, he writes on his LinkedIn profile, before moving to Tesla.
Musk: Model Y prototype approved to go into production
On Tesla's earnings call after announcing its first quarterly profit, CEO Elon Musk chatted about the company's upcoming products. While claiming it has "the most exciting product roadmap of any company on Earth," Musk mentioned the Model Y crossover EV we've only seen hints of so far, and said "I recently approved the prototype to go into production."
Walmart orders 30 more Tesla Semi trucks for its fleet
Walmart must be enthused with Tesla's vision for electric trucking, since it's quadrupling the size of its Semi order. The retailer is buying 30 additional Semis on top of the 10 it purchased back in November 2017, with the latest batch destined for Canada. The first 20 will bolster Walmart's core fleet in Missisauga, while the rest will support a future fulfillment center in Surrey, BC that will rely solely on EVs. It's part of a larger strategy that will see Walmart's Canadian branch rely exclusively on "alternative power" for its fleet by 2028.
Tesla's Semi truck is traveling cross-country 'alone'
Tesla's Semi truck has already made some city-to-city trips, but how does it fare on cross-country jaunts -- you know, what it'll be doing when it enters service? Just fine, if you ask Elon Musk. In response to an Electrek piece on the Semi's latest visit (to Arkansas trucking behemoth J.B. Hunt), the CEO noted that the Semi has been traveling thousands of miles entirely by itself, using the existing Supercharger network. The only necessary help is an "extension cord" to help the truck plug in. To be exact, it's a system of cords that plugs into multiple stations at once to top up the Semi's giant battery before the company's Megachargers come online.
Toyota's latest hydrogen-powered semi boasts 300-mile range
Toyota has made a lot of progress on its hydrogen fuel cell semi truck since unveiling the Alpha model in 2017. The automaker has unveiled a Beta version of its Project Portal semi that promises huge improvements. For one, the zero-emissions vehicle now drives 300 miles on a hydrogen tank instead of roughly 200 -- rather important if it's going to be hauling cargo all day. It's also more maneuverable, and manages to create more cab space (including a sleeper cab) thanks in part to a "unique fuel cabinet combination."
Tesla's prototype Semi has a 'Mad Max' Autopilot mode
You didn't think Tesla's Semi truck would go without a Ludicrous-like software setting just because it's meant for work, did you? Sure enough, it exists. Elon Musk has revealed that the prototype electric cargo hauler has a Mad Max mode. No, this won't give the Semi a battering ram or a flame-spewing guitar -- rather, it influences Autopilot's blind spot threshold. Musk didn't elaborate on what that meant, but his photo of the settings page suggests the semi-autonomous driving feature will make lane changes with even more gusto than the "aggressive" option.
Anheuser-Busch will haul beer in Nikola hydrogen-electric trucks
The rivalry between Nikola and Tesla is only getting hotter... figuratively speaking. Mere months after ordering 40 Tesla Semis, Anheuser-Busch has ordered "up to" 800 of Nikola's hydrogen-electric semi-trucks to introduce them into its beer-carrying fleet starting in 2020. The deal should help Anheuser-Busch convert its entire long-haul roster to renewable-based trucks by 2025 and will be equivalent to taking over 13,000 cars off the road. As to why it's not just relying on Tesla? One word: range.
Nikola (Motors) is suing Tesla (updated)
Nikola Tesla invented alternating electrical current. Nikola Motors is a mobility company working on a hydrogen-powered semi truck. Tesla makes fully electric vehicles and last December unveiled its EV Semi. Nikola Motors is suing Tesla Motors over patent infringements, according to Electrek. Let the irony of that sink in for a moment before reading the rest of this post.
Uber’s self-driving trucks are making deliveries in Arizona
Uber announced today that its self-driving trucks have been operating in Arizona for the last couple of months. The company said it has two main transfer hubs in Sanders and Topock, but other than that, Uber is being pretty tight-lipped about the operation. For instance, it hasn't shared how many trucks are in use, how many miles they've driven, what they're shipping or how often drivers have to take over for the autonomous system, and has only said that the trucks have completed thousands of rides to date.
Tesla's electric trucks may be more cost-effective than expected
When Tesla unveiled its Semi electric truck, it made audacious claims about the big rig's value -- namely, that companies would recoup the cost of the vehicle in 2 years thanks to the savings on fuel. As it turns out, that might have been conservative. DHL exec Jim Monkmeyer told Reuters in an interview that he expects the shipping company to reach that point in a year and a half, saving tens of thousands of dollars per year. The absence of fuel is only part of the equation, he noted. As EV motors are much less complex than the big diesel engines that power conventional trucks, the Semi shouldn't need as much maintenance.
Embark’s self-driving semi completes trip from California to Florida
Last year, autonomous trucking company Embark announced that it would begin using its Level 2 autonomous semis to deliver refrigerators from Texas to California. Now, TechCrunch reports, the company has taken it a step further as one of its trucks has now completed a 2,400 mile trip from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida. The trip took five days, which included scheduled rest breaks for the driver that was on board, and TechCrunch says that Embark's team is now assessing all of the trip's data. While there's no word yet on just how often the system required the driver to step in, those on board said that the truck went "hours at a time with no disengagements, and when they did occur they were usually only a few seconds," according to Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues.
