Tesla Semi Official Battery Specs Are Out, And They’re Impressive

Tesla never unveiled the Semi’s battery capacities, but an official document let the cat out of the bag.

Photo by: Tesla

By: Iulian Dnistran

May 8, at 3:48am ET

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The Tesla Semi’s official battery specs are out, and they’re massive.
An official document published by the California Air Resources Board unveiled the capacities for the Standard Range and Long Range models.
The same document reveals that the Standard Range version has a less powerful electric powertrain than its bigger brother.

The Tesla Semi has huge batteries. It’s not exactly a surprise, seeing how the Long Range model is advertised as being capable of driving up to 500 miles on a full charge while carrying a full load.

That said, Tesla never published the battery capacities for the Semi, forcing everyone to rely on napkin math to come up with a figure. Now, though, an official document from the California Air Resources Board has let the cat out of the bag.

Photo by: Tesla

The Tesla Semi Long Range has an 822-kilowatt-hour usable battery capacity, according to the CARB document. With an advertised energy consumption of 1.7 kWh/mile, the theoretical maximum driving range comes out to 483 miles, but the driver would have to set off with a full battery and drive until the truck can no longer move under its own power.

The Semi Long Range weighs 23,000 pounds and has a gross combination weight of 82,000 pounds. Its maximum power output is 800 kW, courtesy of the three electric motors powering the rear axles. The Standard Range model can deliver up to 525 kW, although the company's website claims both versions can do 800 kW. Dan Priestley, the Semi's program chief, recently said that the company is offering both 525 kW and 800 kW options.

Battery-wise, the Semi Standard Range has a 548 kWh battery pack. With an average energy consumption of 1.7 kWh/mile, the maximum range comes out to 322 miles—on par with Tesla’s “approximately 325 miles” claim. The Standard Range version has a curb weight that slips under 20,000 lbs, but its gross combination weight is 82,000 lbs, the same as the Long Range model.

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Both Semi variants use the same 4680 lithium-ion, nickel manganese oxide cells as the Cybertruck, and can accept a maximum charging power of 1.2 megawatts (1,200 kilowatts) through an MCS 3.2 charge port. The battery packs are installed in the floor of the truck, keeping the center of gravity low. On the Long Range model, the tractor chassis is longer than on the Standard Range to accommodate the larger battery pack.

Tesla recently started mass production of the Semi, with customer deliveries expected to begin later this year. The company also introduced a 1.2 MW Megacharger designed specifically for fast-charging the Semi, getting it to 60% state of charge in 30 minutes. There’s also the new Basecharger, which delivers up to 125 kW, but doesn’t need a dedicated power cabinet.