A new video showcases how the Tesla Semi’s electric truck powertrain outperforms diesel trucks as the Tesla electric truck blows past diesel trucks up a hill.
It can be a pain to get to highway speed in order to merge when you are stuck behind a semi-truck on an on-ramp.
Depending on the load they are carrying, it can sometimes take over 30 seconds to get to 60 mph.
For truck drivers, this can also be an issue. For example, it can take forever and block traffic when a truck tries to pass another. They rarely, if ever, start passing up a hill because of that.
In the second half of the clip a diesel semi in the middle lane in the background also easily overtakes the ones in the "slow" lane. Climbing is a function of weight, which we don't know for either truck.
Semi should be able to outclimb diesel when fully loaded, but this clip proves nothing.
But electric trucks can fix that, and we get a beautiful example of it with a Tesla Semi truck passing several other semi trucks at an impressive speed on the Donner Pass, which is between a 7% and up to 16% grade:
I had some thoughts about how to (safely) capture some video of the Tesla Semi vs diesel semi’s going up a steep grade. The average grade ascending the Donner Pass is 7% up to 16%. This is some of what I captured. #Tesla #teslasemi Tesla runs these semi’s daily, fully loaded up… pic.twitter.com/eEHwc1s0DB
— Zanegler (@HinrichsZane)
Considering Tesla uses its electric semi trucks to carry material between Tesla’s many California facilities and Gigafactory Nevada, and since that’s where this video was filmed, this truck is likely loaded.
The automaker says that the Tesla Semi can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in about 20 seconds when fully loaded:
Three independent motors provide instant torque and unmatched power at any speed so drivers can merge safely and keep pace with traffic. Accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded, and maintain highway-level speeds even up steep grades.
Tesla argues that quick acceleration is a safety feature. At the very least, it doesn’t hold up traffic, and it should be more fun to drive for the truck drivers.
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