Tesla Semi trucks its first all-electric load … of Tesla batteries

Just under four months after unveiling its all-electric truck concept, the Tesla Semi has reportedly made its first production cargo trip, ferrying – you guessed it – Tesla battery packs.

The milestone event was, as usual, announced via social media:

“First production cargo trip of the Tesla Semi heavy duty truck, carrying battery packs from the Gigafactory in the Nevada mountains to the car factory in California,” Elon Musk said this morning on Instagram, with the below photo.

And while some cracked wise about it being an elaborate ruse to distract from long-delayed Model 3 deliveries, others are celebrating what promises to be a major game-changer in the world of freight transport.

As we reported in November, the major source of this disruption will centre around operating costs, which Tesla has said will deliver savings of $US200,000 over diesel trucks over one million miles.

Morgan Stanley has said the Tesla Semi could be 70 per cent cheaper to operate than a diesel-powered truck and Musk reinforced this point, by saying it would be “economic suicide” to continue driving diesel trucks.

We also know that the fully electric “Class 8 truck” – which is the largest of heavy duty freight trucks – will have a 200kWh battery pack; a range of up to 800km (500 miles) on a single charge; and will be able to add 400 miles (643km) of range in 30 minutes of charging.

“By the time you are done with your break, the truck is ready to go. You will not be waiting for your truck to charge,” Musk said back at the launch.