Tesla Semi truck heads to IAA as European launch takes shape
Tesla is bringing its electric Semi truck back to IAA Transportation in Hanover this September, but this time as more than just a show vehicle. The company has said it plans to announce details and specifications of the Semi's European market launch at the trade fair.
In a post on X, Tesla announced plans to reveal specifications and launch details for the Semi in Europe at the IAA Transportation exhibition in Hanover. As part of this, a Semi truck will once again be displayed in the exhibition halls. Two years ago, a unit shipped from America attracted significant attention in Hanover. However, at the time, Tesla remained completely tight-lipped about the model’s market debut in Europe. Information at the Tesla stand was virtually non-existent – something electrive’s Editor-in-Chief, Peter Schwierz, noted on-site in 2022, among others.
This time round, Tesla has not only confirmed its participation at the IAA; our editorial team has also received one of Tesla’s rare press releases, in which the company confirmed it will provide further details about the European market launch and the European model variant on-site.
The electric truck is currently being manufactured in a purpose-built facility adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada. As Electrek reported in April, the plant is designed for an annual capacity of 50,000 trucks, though production will be ramped up gradually. Therefore, this annual output is not expected immediately.
Nevertheless, the start of series production marks a pivotal moment for Tesla. The economies of scale from mass production are intended to allow the Semi to be offered in the USA at a price of $290,000 and $260,000 for the Long-Range and Standard versions, respectively. According to industry experts, these prices would make the model the most affordable battery-electric Class 8 semi-trailer tractor on the US market. At the same time, the Semi outperforms some of its ageing competitors in terms of technical specifications. More details on this are provided below.
There are already a few Semi trucks on the roads in the USA, though these consist of early units largely hand-built on a pilot production line. Most of these pre-production vehicles are believed to be part of Tesla’s own fleet, with an additional 36 units confirmed in PepsiCo’s California fleet. Tesla began production of the first pre-production Semi units in the USA in October 2022 as reported here. Over the following three years, Tesla focused on “refining the design, cutting roughly 1,000 lbs from the truck, and building out a dedicated factory adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada in Sparks,” according to Electrek. In February, the manufacturer released the final production specifications for the US model – and confirmed two variants: a Standard Range with a range of 325 miles (~523 km) and a gross vehicle weight of 82,000 pounds (around 37.2 tonnes), and a Long Range with a range of 500 miles (~800 km).
Both variants feature a powertrain with three integrated electric motors delivering up to 800 kW of power, as well as a 548 kWh or 822 kWh battery. You can read more about the further specifications of the US model here. Another key point: the Semi is designed to support megawatt charging at 1.2 MW. Corresponding charging infrastructure is currently being developed in parts of the USA. The charging hardware being installed is the 1.2-MW charging solution Tesla announced last spring for the Semi, based on its own V4 technology. The manufacturer also uses this technology to enhance the performance of its passenger vehicle chargers. It is a decentralised system comprising sleek satellite chargers and a separate technical cabinet, known as the Powerunit. When scaled up, the technology can achieve the aforementioned 1.2 MW, which is expected to restore ‘the majority’ of its 800-kilometre range in half an hour for the Semi.
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