Tesla says it has cut nearly 1,000 pounds from the Semi since the truck was first shown, and that it now burns about 1,700 watt-hours per mile fully loaded. The original target was 2,000.
The savings let Tesla fit a smaller, lighter and cheaper battery without giving up range, the company said at an event for the truck at its new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada. Tesla also switched from bought-in 2170 cells, used in earlier test trucks, to its own 4680 cells. The Verge reported that the truck entered volume production in April 2026, almost a decade after the 2017 concept.
Two trims, one battery pack
The final production design, revealed in February 2026, comes in two trims. The Standard Range truck is rated for 325 miles at a full gross combination weight of 82,000 pounds. The Long Range version is rated for 500 miles.
Dan Priestley, who directs Semi engineering, stressed that the 500-mile figure was measured with a full load, not with a shrinking payload. Lars Moravy, a Tesla vice president of engineering, said a Semi pulling a lighter load of around 60,000 pounds could potentially reach about 600 miles. The Standard Range truck is lighter and aimed at a wider mix of jobs.
Parts that changed
The powertrain was substantially redesigned. The rotor is now steel-caged instead of carbon-fiber-sleeved, and the stator is a bar-wound unit shared with the Cybertruck. A reworked drive axle is about 80 kilograms lighter. Tesla dropped the three separate oils of the original axle. There is no oil in the hub now, and the motor and gearbox share one oil that Moravy said should last more than 250,000 miles.
Redundant electric power steering replaced the hydraulic system. A greater wheel cut gives the truck a turning radius close to a Model Y’s, which Priestley said should help in tight city streets and at loading docks.
The thermal system is the same indirect design used in the Cybercab, with the same pumps, compressors and heat exchangers. Tesla says it removes long refrigerant lines to the front of the vehicle and moves heat between the cabin, battery and drive unit.
Charging and cost
The Semi’s battery pack is 822 kWh. Tesla’s Megacharger delivers up to 1.2 megawatts per stall, and engineers at the event showed a truck charging from 3 to 60 percent in about 30 minutes. Tesla said it would have more than 30 Semi charging stations by the end of the year.
Tesla did not disclose order numbers or an updated price. The Verge noted a rumored $290,000 for the long-range version.
