What you need to know about the Tesla Semi Truck

Tesla's new semi was announced on November 16, 2017. This beast is expected to have a base price of $150.000 that gives the truck a 300-mile range. While his big brother, the 500-mile range semi starts at $180.000 and the base reservation is at $20.000 as of today. This would seem like a lot of money, however, Tesla claims that you could save more than $200.000 on fuel. This will have a badass performance as it can go from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded.

The configuration for this semi is rather odd as it features a single seat in the middle of the cockpit and a passenger seat available behind and to the right. Unfortunately, this configuration leaves the cab without much space for other storage. The semi has no configuration available with sleeping accommodations but we could see that roll out after it hits the market. It has 2 screens, one on each side of the driver and it surely will be one of the safest semi's out there. It comes with enhanced autopilot which helps avoid collisions and a low center of gravity to help keep the stability.

The screen on the left controls vehicle functions and settings that are specific to the cargo, on the right screen you can expect more typical controls such as the radio and the navigational aids. In the future we can expect that this layout becomes more customizable.

The enhanced autopilot is a standard feature on this beast, and it will probably save a lot of lives too. The semi has the conventional enormous mirrors you see on a normal semi, but Tesla has added cameras mounted under the exterior mirrors. These cameras are part of the autopilot system but they can be seen from the screens. The semi also features front-facing cameras at the base of the windshield that will probably help drivers get used to Tesla's semi.

Tesla has racked up several orders but the biggest one was from PepsiCo which reserved 100 Semi trucks. This is part of their initiative to reduce fleet emissions and cut down fuel costs. That's 2 million dollars in reservations alone and when they deliver the Semi's that would go up to 15 million dollars. The trucks would represent a really small part of PepsiCo's fleet of 10.000 semi-trucks but it would be the start of something new.