Tesla stops taking reservations for Semi truck ahead of launch

US EV giant Tesla has stopped taking reservations for the upcoming Tesla Semi electric pickup truck, which is slated to be launched later this year. Ahead of the launch, the EV maker has updated its site with new specs, pictures, and video of the electric semi truck. The model was unveiled five years ago and its launch comes on the heels of recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes big incentives for commercial electric vehicles.

Until recently, Tesla was taking $20,000 reservations for the upcoming electric Semi, but now, the “reserve now" button has been removed from its website and replaced with a “get updates" button.

The Tesla Semi pickup truck is capable of hitting 0-60 kmph in 20 seconds and have 300- or 500-mile battery options with a consumption of under 2kWh per mile – all while being fully loaded to its capacity of 82,000 lb. Originally, Tesla claimed that the electric pickup truck would have four independent motors and be capable of recharging 400 miles in 30 minutes.

Now, the website says that the Tesla Semi will have three independent motors instead of four and will be capable of regaining 70% charge in 30 minutes when attached to a “Tesla Semi Charger."

Previously, it was assumed that the Semi pickup would need more than 1MW of power to charge at the rates Tesla claims it will charge at. For the truck to get 500 miles of charge at 2kWh/mi, it would have a 1MWh battery, and to charge to 70% of range in 30 minutes, it would need a 1.4MW average charge rate from 0-80%. This implies that peak charging rate for Tesla Semi would need to be higher than 1.4MW, because charging speeds usually taper off at higher states of charge.