Driver captures speed of new Tesla Semi on camera out in public traffic: ‘It’s an exciting time’

The sights and sounds of a Tesla Semi sailing down a road had one X user fawning over the smooth ride recently.

Tesla Shawn (@TeslaShawn) tweeted Aug. 19 on the platform formerly known as Twitter that the big rig came out of a Pepsi yard in Sacramento, California. The cab’s passenger door was stamped with the words “Zero emissions: This truck is powered by 100% renewable energy.”

Tesla touts its semitrucks as “the future of trucking.” They use less than two kilowatt-hour per mile of energy consumption, have a range of up to 500 miles, and can go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 20 seconds.

Compared to diesel tractor trailers, Teslas can save owners $200,000 in fuel costs over three years. Combination trucks — most of which are semis — also account for just 1.1% of nationwide traffic but 17.9% of the country’s vehicle-produced pollution.

Diesel trucks in particular spew harmful toxins such as nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone, and particulate matter, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Tesla’s 18-wheelers have three motors and can climb steep grades much easier than their counterparts. They recover 70% of their range with a 30-minute charge, and maintenance may also be simpler and cheaper than with diesel trucks thanks to remote diagnostics and software updates.

The pros don’t come without cons, but the former seem to outweigh the latter.

And they had at least one X user dreaming of quieter highways in the future, when fewer rigs powered by internal combustion engines may traverse roadways.

“I can’t wait until more of these are on the road to replace the extremely loud ICE equivalents,” they replied to the post.

Tesla Shawn responded: “It’s an exciting time.”

The poster also noted the electric semi made them want to renew their Class A commercial driver’s license, which allows holders to operate tractor trailers, tankers, flatbeds, and other large semis.

In June, the United States Senate upheld a veto by President Joe Biden to protect regulation to keep air cleaner after the House of Representatives voted to overturn a law to cut soot and smog pollution by heavy-duty trucks, a classification that includes semis.

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