Tesla Semi electric truck coming to IAA / European launch approaching

Tesla was already at the IAA Transportation in Hannover two years ago with its electric truck Semi. There will be a revival this September, but this time with concrete details: Tesla promises to announce the European market launch at the exhibition — along with the technical specifications.

On network “X,” the U.S. manufacturer announced it will release the specifications and launch details for the Tesla Semi in Europe, utilizing the IAA Transportation event in Hannover to do so. A Semi vehicle will also be on display at the exhibition halls again. Two years ago, a unit shipped from America attracted significant attention in Hannover. However, Tesla remained completely silent at the time regarding its market debut across the Atlantic. Information was scarce around the Tesla booth—as Peter Schwierz, editor-in-chief of electrive, observed on site in 2024.

Tesla is announcing its participation in the IAA not only through “X.” Our editorial team also received one of Tesla’s rare press releases, in which the company confirms it will provide more details on the European market launch and the European model variant on site.

The electric truck is currently being built in a specially constructed, separate factory next to the Gigafactory Nevada. As Electrek reported on the occasion of production commencement in April, the facility is designed for an annual capacity of 50,000 trucks, with production expected to be increased gradually. So, such an annual output cannot be expected right away.

Nevertheless, the start of mass production for Tesla represents a crucial moment. The scale advantages of large-scale manufacturing are intended to enable the Semi to be offered in the U.S. at prices of $290,000 for the long-range version and $260,000 for the standard version. According to industry experts, these announced prices will make it the most affordable BEV tractor-trailer in Class 8 on the U.S. market. At the same time, the Semi outperforms its competitors, some of whom have already become outdated in terms of technical specifications. Details follow shortly.

Sporadically, a few Semis can already be seen on the roads in the U.S. These were the first units, primarily built manually on a pilot line. Most of these pre-production vehicles are believed to be in Tesla’s own fleet, with 36 units confirmed in PepsiCo’s California fleet. Tesla began U.S. production of the first pre-production Semi models in October 2022. Over the following three years, Tesla focused on “refining the design, reducing the truck’s weight by about 1,000 pounds, and building its own factory next to the Gigafactory Nevada in Sparks,” according to Electrek. In February, the automaker released the final production specifications for the U.S. model and confirmed two trim levels: a Standard Range with a range of 325 miles (about 523 km) and a maximum allowable weight.

an HT with a weight of 82,000 pounds (about 37.2 tons) and a Long Range version with a range of 500 miles (about 800 km).

Both trim levels are equipped with a drive system featuring three integrated electric motors delivering up to 800 kW of power, along with batteries sized at 548 or 822 kWh. You can read more about the specifications of the U.S. model here. Importantly, the Semi is designed to support megawatt-level charging at 1.2 MW. Relevant charging infrastructure is currently being developed in parts of the U.S. As charging hardware, Tesla’s 1.2-MW charging solution based on its own V4 technology—used by the company to improve performance in its passenger car chargers—is being installed. This is a decentralized system consisting of compact satellite chargers and a separate equipment cabinet known as the Powerunit. At scale, this technology can achieve the aforementioned 1.2 MW capacity, allowing the Semi to charge “the majority of its 8” in half an hour.

“It is supposed to restore a range of 00 kilometers.”