HANNOVER, Germany — Tesla will start European demonstrations of the Semi within the first half of 2027 and is focusing on buyer deliveries by the tip of that 12 months, mentioned Dan Priestley, head of Semi at Tesla, in a keynote at IAA Transportation 2026. The primary European vehicles will probably be constructed on the firm’s plant outdoors Reno, Nevada.
Priestley laid out the timeline when requested whether or not Tesla’s European order ebook was open.
“What we’re engaged on proper now’s lining up prospects which might be extremely involved in experiencing the truck via demonstrations within the first half of subsequent 12 months, with the chance then to take supply, focusing on by the tip of subsequent 12 months,” he mentioned.
Homologation modifications for the European truck
The European Semi is rated at 550 kilometers of usable vary, about 342 miles, and consumption of 1 kilowatt-hour per kilometer, or about 1.61 kilowatt-hours per mile. Each figures are measured at 40 metric tons gross mixture weight, or 88,185 kilos. That’s heavier than the 82,000-pound score Tesla makes use of on the North American truck. Curb weight is 9,100 kilograms, about 20,060 kilos.
The truck accepts 800 kilowatts of cost. Priestley mentioned that recovers greater than 60% of vary in half-hour, about 300 kilometers or 186 miles. Tesla’s printed European spec sheet makes use of the 60% determine and doesn’t give the kilometer restoration. The tractor is designed to run as much as 44 metric tons, about 97,000 kilos, for drayage and container work.
Beneath, the European truck is the North American standard-range Semi, which Priestley put at 325 miles. Europe’s 342-mile score on the greater weight is identical {hardware} on a unique take a look at cycle, not a longer-range pack. Tesla didn’t announce a European long-range mannequin.
“All the foremost expertise items — the body rails, the chassis, battery pack, drive axles — all of them are the identical,” Priestley mentioned. “They’re the underpinnings. The very same car, the identical wheelbase.”
The Semi runs three axles, yet another than the European norm. Two of them are pushed: the rear axle geared for freeway cruise, the mid axle for energy and torque. Priestley mentioned the drivetrain shifts work between them with out driver enter, which lets Tesla hit the consumption determine on the smallest doable battery.
What modifications is homologation: European lighting necessities, a tachograph, a barely totally different trailer interface, splash guards. One requirement goes in the wrong way. European regulators there allow camera-monitor methods rather than mirrors, so the Semi’s side-arm cameras feed shows on the inside pillars and sprint. U.S. vehicles nonetheless carry mirrors.
The cab places the driving force in a ahead middle seating place behind wraparound glass, which Priestley mentioned is essential in tight city areas. Unbiased entrance suspension provides the three-axle truck the maneuverability of a two-axle truck, he mentioned.
“And sure, I get plenty of questions: ‘Is your truck too huge?’ No, it’s not,” Priestley mentioned. “It matches the turning circle fairly properly, and we’re assured it’ll work within the number of European environments.”
Megacharger stalls and Basecharger pricing
Tesla will open its European Megacharger rollout subsequent 12 months with greater than 100 stalls outfitted with the Megawatt Charging System, every able to 1.2 megawatts. Transport Subjects reported a minimum of 22 European charging areas. Whereas that determine is counting websites, Priestley’s depend facilities on stalls.
For depots that don’t want quick charging, Tesla sells the Basecharger, a 120-kilowatt submit with the ability electronics constructed into the unit and no separate cupboard. It’s listed at 17,000 euros, about $19,500, and three may be daisy-chained and break up to 40 kilowatts every.
The chargers are on sale now, whereas Tesla continues to be lining up demonstration prospects for the truck and has given no date for European gross sales.
Semi fleet kilometers, uptime and repair
The Semi fleet has run greater than 28 million kilometers, about 17.4 million miles, Priestley mentioned. Clients have pushed 19 million of these kilometers, about 11.8 million miles, on regional supply, linehaul and obligation cycles in between. That buyer determine contains 400,000 kilometers, about 249,000 miles, on an indication fleet Tesla lends to prospects for just a few weeks at a time to check towards their very own operations. He put uptime this 12 months at 98%.
Tesla runs devoted Semi service facilities in North America and can rise up the identical construction in Europe, Priestley mentioned. He tied that to greater than a decade of coaching high-voltage technicians. The demonstration program doubles as a means for prospects to see how the service facet works earlier than they commit.
Driver help forward of full autonomy
When requested about autonomy after the keynote, Priestley mentioned Tesla is concentrating on driver help and security options and is utilizing human-driven vehicles to collect coaching knowledge towards eventual full autonomy. He set no date for full autonomy on the Semi.
A big articulated car is a associated however totally different drawback from a passenger automotive, he mentioned, and Tesla is carrying over the methods and coaching structure behind the supervised Full Self-Driving software program on the automotive facet. Priestley framed the near-term work round driver confidence in what the truck tells them.
“We weed out false alerts and have one thing that’s actually clean and a very good driver and operator expertise,” Priestley mentioned. “That features all the protection options they’ve come to anticipate within the business.”
Nevada capability and European localization
The Nevada plant is designed for 1,000 vehicles per week, or 50,000 a 12 months, and is already constructing vehicles meant for purchasers. Priestley mentioned Tesla would open it to buyer visits the next week, timing that matches a Sept. 24 buyer occasion in Sparks, Nevada. That capability, he mentioned, is why a European plant is just not on the desk but.
“We’re not nervous about that right now. We’re targeted on launching in North America proper now,” Priestley mentioned. “We’ve obtained ample capability to assist our preliminary wave, however every time it is smart, we’ll have a look at varied localization efforts to face up no matter’s wanted.”
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