Elon Musk has finally handed over the first versions of the Tesla Semi all-electric truck to customers at an event, five years after the vehicle was originally revealed. 

As you’d expect from a Tesla, the truck is 100% electric and uses three motors from the fastest Model S to propel itself and up to 32 tons of payload. Two of the motors are only used to help move off and accelerate. These automatically disconnect and when the Semi is at a cruising speed, leaving the remaining motor to maintain momentum on the motorway. 

At the handover event, Elon Musk said the Semi had three times the power of any diesel truck: “It has crazy power - it looks like an elephant moving like a cheetah.” This translates to a 0-60 time of around 20 seconds. 

The Semi can carry up to 32 tons using Model S motors

​The Semi uses a 1,000 volt powertrain, compared to the 400 volts used by most cars, including Tesla’s current models. This allows for faster charging, with the Semi able to accept 1,000kW. That’s more than four times the capacity of a Model 3. Musk said these chargers will be installed at Tesla Supercharger locations, and use liquid cooking in the cables to prevent overheating. 

Although other technical details were scarce, Musk said the Semi will come with two ranges – either 300 or 500 miles. Efficiency is claimed to be “1.7kWh per mile”, suggesting a battery size of around 900kWh. 

Musk also claimed the Semi is as easy to drive as a Tesla car, and features a central driving position and two huge 15” infotainment screens. 

No prices have been announced, but Tesla claim the truck could save £164,000 in fuel costs over three years. There is no news on the Semi coming to the UK yet.

Interior has a central driving position and two screens