News
Tesla Semi battery weight criticisms are rooted in outdated ideas: EV expert
A good number of skeptics critical of battery-electric long-haulers like the Tesla Semi typically argue that the weight of the vehicles’ batteries makes them ineffective against competitors that are powered by diesel or hydrogen. As noted by an electric vehicle veteran and expert recently, however, these ideas are rooted in outdated ideas about battery weight. And if one considers more recent battery tech, electric Class 8 trucks may not only be feasible; they may actually be closer than expected.
In a recent piece on Bulk Distributor Magazine’s November/December 2020 issue, Auke Hoekstra, Senior Advisor for Electric Mobility at the Eindhoven University of Technology, noted that contrary to popular belief, long-haul trucks would not be the last vehicles to become battery-powered. This is in no small part due to the advancement of battery technology. Hoekstra noted that within five years, he believes that “electric trucks will become the logical choice for many bulk transporters” And within 10 years, vehicles like the Tesla Sei will likely dominate new sales.
The stunning progression of battery technology could be seen in just how much batteries have gotten better and cheaper over the years. Hoekstra noted that myths about electric trucks being too heavy were true 20 years ago, but not today. If electric long-haulers existed 20 years ago, they would likely be powered by lead-acid batteries, and assuming a battery size of 1 MWh, such a vehicle will require a pack that will likely weigh about 25 tons. That’s more than the entire payload of the truck. This is, of course, not the case today.
Hoekstra noted that when he wrote his first book about electric vehicles for the Dutch Ministry of Road Transport 13 years ago, lithium-ion batteries had started to emerge. Lithium-ion batteries offered reductions in weight, resulting in a 1 MWh pack weighing only about 10 tons. Today, this is even better, with modern electric cars having batteries that weigh about 5 kg per kWh or 5 tons per MWh. “I expect that with five years, that weight will be down to 3.5 tons. And it doesn’t stop there,” the EV veteran wrote.
Class 8 trucks like the Tesla Semi, which are designed from the ground up to be electric, will likely offer even better weight advantages. Hoekstra estimated that Tesla would see further weight reductions of about 2.5 to 3 tons due to the vehicle’s all-electric platform. “The electric motor is lighter, and you can get rid of the diesel tank and exhaust treatment. Then you place the electric motors between the wheels and lose the differential, driveshaft, and a host of other components,” he wrote.
What’s particularly interesting is that these estimates don’t even take into account the innovations that Tesla unveiled in its Battery Day event. Once Tesla’s 4680 tabless cells and structural battery packs enter the equation, the Semi becomes an even more compelling alternative to diesel-powered trucks. Hoekstra estimated that Tesla’s structural battery packs could save another ton to the Semi’s overall weight, seeing as the battery would practically displace the steel beams that give traditional Class 8 long-haulers their rigidity. With this in mind, the EV veteran noted that “battery weight will soon be a problem of the past.”
There are other advantages to electric trucks that were highlighted by Hoekstra in his piece, such as the cost savings that will result from the use of a fleet of electric trucks. This is something that Tesla has highlighted in the past, with CEO Elon Musk stating during the vehicle’s unveiling that the Semi will vastly undercut diesel-powered rivals when it comes to operating costs. Couple this with the low maintenance requirements of EVs, as well as the fact that batteries now last much longer, and trucks like the Tesla Semi will likely become very attractive options for operators in the very near future.
Lifestyle
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
California just gave police power to ticket driverless cars, including Tesla’s Cybercab fleet.
California DMV formally adopted new rules on April 29, 2026 that allow law enforcement to issue “notices of noncompliance”, or in other words, ticket autonomous vehicle companies when their cars commit moving violations. The rules take effect July 1, 2026, officially closes a regulatory gap that previously let driverless cars operate on public roads with nearly no traffic enforcement consequences.
Until now, state traffic law only applied to human “drivers,” which meant that when no person was behind the wheel, police had no mechanism to issue a ticket. Officers were limited to citing driverless vehicles for parking violations only. A well-known example came in September 2025, when a San Bruno officer watched a Waymo robotaxi execute an illegal U-turn and could do nothing but notify the company.
Under the new framework, when an officer observes a violation, the autonomous vehicle company is effectively treated as the driver. Companies must report each incident to the DMV within 72 hours, or 24 hours if a collision is involved. Repeated violations can result in fleet size restrictions, operational suspensions, or full permit revocation. Local officials also gained new authority to geofence driverless vehicles out of active emergency zones within two minutes and require a live emergency response line answered within 30 seconds.
Tesla Cybercab ramps Robotaxi public street testing as vehicle enters mass production queue
California’s new enforcement rules arrive at a pivotal moment for Tesla. The company is ramping Cybercab production at Giga Texas toward hundreds of units per week, targeting at least 2 million units annually at full capacity, while simultaneously pushing to expand its Robotaxi service to dozens of U.S. cities by end of 2026. Unsupervised FSD for consumer vehicles is currently targeted for Q4 2026, and when it arrives, Tesla’s fleet may not have a human to absorb legal accountability, under the July 1 rules.
Tesla has confirmed plans to expand its Robotaxi service to seven new cities in the first half of 2026, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas, with the service already running without safety drivers in Austin. Musk has said he expects robotaxis to cover between a quarter and half of the United States by end of year.
News
Tesla Model X shocks everyone by crushing every other used car in America
The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.
The Tesla Model X was the fastest-selling used vehicle in the United States in the first quarter of the year, crushing every other used car in America.
iSeeCars data for the first quarter shows that the Model X was the fastest-selling used car, lasting just 25.6 days on the market on average, two days better than that of the second-place Lexus RX 350h. The Cybertruck, Model Y, and Model S, in seventh, ninth, and thirteenth place, respectively, also made the list.
The Model X is one of Tesla’s flagship models, the other being the Model S. Earlier this year, Tesla confirmed it would discontinue production of both the Model S and Model X to make way for Optimus robot production at the Fremont Factory in Northern California.
Tesla brings closure to flagship ‘sentimental’ models, Musk confirms
Bringing closure to these two vehicles signaled the end of the road for the cars that have effectively built Tesla’s reputation for luxury and high-end passenger vehicles.
Relying on the sales of its mass market Model Y and Model 3, as well as leaning on the success of future products like the Cybercab, is the angle Tesla has chosen to take.
Teslas are also performing extremely well as a whole on the resale market. iSeeCars data shows that, “while the average price of a 1- to 5-year-old non-Tesla EV fell 10.3% in Q1 2026 year-over-year, the average price of a used Tesla was essentially flat at 0.1% lower across the same period. Traditional gas car prices dropped 2.8% during this same period.”
Additionally, market share for gas cars has dropped nearly 3 percent since the same quarter last year. Tesla has remained level, while the non-Tesla EV market share has increased 30 percent, mostly due to more models available.
Nevertheless, those non-Tesla EVs have seen their value drop by over 10 percent, while Tesla’s values have remained level.
Executive Analyst Karl Brauer said:
“Used electric vehicles without a Tesla badge have lost more than 10% of their value in the past year. This compares to stable values for Teslas and hybrids, and a modest 2.8% drop for traditional gasoline vehicles.”
Teslas, as well as non-luxury hybrids, are displaying the strongest resistance in the face of faltering demand, the publication says. But the more impressive performance is that of the Model X alone.
Tesla’s decision to stop production of the Model X may have played some part in the vehicle’s pristine performance in Q1. With the car already placed at a premium price point, used models are already more appealing to consumers. Perhaps second-hand versions were more than enough for those who wanted a Model X, and only a Model X.
Cybertruck
Tesla Cybertruck’s head-scratching trim sold terribly, recall documents reveal
The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.
After Tesla decided to build a Rear-Wheel-Drive Cybertruck trim back in 2025, which was void of many features and only featured a small discount.
The head-scratching offering was only available for a few months, and evidently, it did not sell very well, which we all suspected. New recall documents on the vehicle from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) now reveal just how poorly it sold.
The recall deals with a potentially separating wheel stud and potentially impacts 173 Cybertruck units with the 18-inch steel wheels. The Cybertruck RWD was the only trim level to feature these, and the 173 potentially impacted units represent a portion of the population of pickups. Therefore, it’s not the entire number of RWD Cybertruck sold, but it could show how little interest it gathered.
The NHTSA document states:
“On affected vehicles, higher severity road perturbations and cornering may strain the stud hole in the wheel rotor, causing cracks to form. If cracking propagates with continued use and strain, the wheel stud could eventually separate from the wheel hub.”
Only 5 percent are expected to be impacted, meaning less than 10 units will have the issue if the NHTSA and Tesla estimates are correct. Nevertheless, the true story here is how terribly the RWD Cybertruck sold.
Tesla ended production and stopped offering the RWD Cybertruck to customers last September. For just $10,000 less than the All-Wheel-Drive trim, Tesla offered the RWD Cybertruck with just one motor, textile seats instead of leather, only 7 speakers instead of 15, no Rear Touchscreen, no Powered Tonneau Cover for the truck bed, and no 120v/240v outlets.
For just $10,000 more, at $79,990, owners could have received all of those premium features, as well as a more capable All-Wheel-Drive powertrain that featured Adaptive Air Suspension. The discount simply was not worth the sacrifices.
Orders were few and far between, and sources told us that when it was offered, sales were extremely tempered because customers could not see the value in this trim level.
Even Tesla’s most loyal supporters thought the offering was kind of a joke, and the $10,000 extra was simply worth it.
California hits Tesla Cybercab and Robotaxi driverless cars with new law
Tesla Model X shocks everyone by crushing every other used car in America
