The trucking industry may be gaining more electric options, but adoption remains low. That makes sense, though, as EV range typically struggles when carrying massive payloads over long distances, which is kind of important for big trucks. However, the European-market Tesla Semi is set to be revealed at the IAA Transportation show in Hanover, Germany next month, and it’s bringing specs that could help put more electric trucks on European roads.
Tesla made the announcement on X, claiming that specs and launch details will be unveiled at the event in September. While full details haven’t been revealed yet, it seems unlikely that the Semi will head to Germany with anything other than either the Standard Range or Long Range models.
In the U.S., Tesla claims that the Standard Range Semi has up to 1,072 horsepower and 325 miles of range. The Long Range model is said to have the same power but with 500 miles of range. With the standard 120 kW base charger, the Semi can recoup 60% of its battery in four hours, so it’s better for overnight charging. However, with the Megacharger, it can juice up at up to 1.2 megawatts, and get 60% of its range back in just 30 minutes.
Megawatt charging systems (MCS) for electric trucks are expanding in Europe, with companies like Milence and Iberdrola installing charging stations that can deliver over one megawatt across the continent. The Semi already uses the seven-pin MCS charge port, so it should have no trouble plugging into Europe’s existing network, as Tesla expands its own.
Photo by: Tesla
This news comes only days after Swedish trucking giant Einride placed an order for 500 Tesla Semis. That’s the biggest order of Semis so far, so it will be interesting to see if Tesla can deliver on those orders and how quickly they get implemented into the fleet. Whenever it does get to Europe, though, if Tesla doesn’t offer the long-range model, it won’t be the longest-range electric truck on the road. That title will still go to the MAN eTGX, which has a standard range of 354 miles.
The IAA Transportation show kicks off on September 14 in Hanover, so we don’t have to wait too long to see what the European Semi will be like.
