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Electric trucks like the Tesla Semi are nearing cost parity with diesel, EU studies show
Two new studies from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and Transport & Environment (T&E) have suggested that advances in technology would enable battery-powered heavy trucks like the Tesla Semi to become cheaper to own and run compared to their petrol and diesel counterparts. According to T&E, these studies are even more proof that the future of the heavy trucking industry is electric.
T&E’s study focused on Germany’s long-haul trucking segment, and according to the agency, direct electrification of road freight is not only technically feasible: it is likely to reach cost parity with diesel by the middle of the decade. The agency also noted that directly electrifying trucks are around twice as energy efficient as renewable hydrogen and about three times as efficient as internal combustion engines running on synthetic e-fuels.
SEI’s report, on the other hand, noted that the electrification of the heavy trucking sector becomes very realistic if the massive battery-powered vehicles could be rapidly charged like all-electric passenger cars. With a rapid-charging infrastructure in place, the required range for battery-powered long-haulers gets dramatically reduced. This means that even vehicles like the Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 truck, which only has an operating range of 150 miles, could be utilized to their utmost potential.
This, together with the advances in battery technology, could ultimately enable the all-electric long-haul segment to thrive. Björn Nykvist, the lead author and senior researcher at SEI, related this in a statement. “Battery technology is very close to a threshold that makes electric trucks feasible and economically competitive,” the researcher said.
Tiziana Frongia, freight director at T&E, further noted that the time is now to push electric trucks into the market, as even existing vehicles available today could already cover most urban and regional deliveries. Longer routes, on the other hand, could be handled by upcoming trucks such as the Tesla Semi, which is expected to have a range of over 500 miles per charge. For Frongia, the future of trucking is electric, and it’s now up to the EU to ensure that the shift to sustainable trucking is expedited.
“The future of trucking is electric. Most urban and regional deliveries can already be covered by electric trucks today, and long-haul electric trucks are only a few years behind. The environmental case is clear and now so is the cost argument. The EU should therefore speed up the transition towards electrification by setting binding targets for truck charging stations in the upcoming review of the infrastructure law… The evidence is stacking up. If electric trucking seemed like a pipe dream just a few years ago, it definitely isn’t anymore. We’ve shown that it is possible. Will the EU make it a reality?” the T&E freight director said.
While there is an inherent challenge in rolling out all-electric long-haulers due to the large number of batteries they require, companies like Tesla are hard at work in ensuring that their trucks are competitive against more conventional rivals. Tesla, for its part, has noted that the Semi, which has been delayed for a few years now, is finally poised to begin deliveries later this year. Elon Musk has also stated that limitations in battery supply would likely be less onerous next year, which suggests that the Tesla Semi’s production could hit its pace in 2022.
Check out Transport & Environment’s study below.
2021 04 TE How to Decarbonise Long Haul Trucking in Germany Final by Simon Alvarez on Scribd
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Tesla Giga Berlin plant manager faces defamation probe after IG Metall union complaint
Prosecutors in Frankfurt (Oder) confirmed they have opened a defamation probe into Gigafactory Berlin plant manager André Thierig.
Tesla’s Giga Berlin plant manager is now under investigation after a complaint from trade union IG Metall, escalating tensions ahead of next month’s works council elections.
Prosecutors in Frankfurt (Oder) confirmed they have opened a defamation probe into Gigafactory Berlin plant manager André Thierig, as per a report from rbb24.
A spokesperson for the Frankfurt (Oder) public prosecutor’s office confirmed to the German Press Agency that an investigation for defamation has been initiated following a criminal complaint filed by IG Metall against Thierig.
The dispute stems from Tesla’s allegation that an IG Metall representative secretly recorded a works council meeting using a laptop. In a post on X, Thierig described the incident as “truly beyond words,” stating that police were called and a criminal complaint was filed.
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons, he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote in a post on X.
Police later confirmed that officers did seize a computer belonging to an IG Metall member at Giga Berlin. Prosecutors are separately investigating the union representative on suspicion of breach of confidentiality and violation of Germany’s Works Constitution Act.
IG Metall has denied Tesla’s allegations. The union claimed that its member offered to unlock the laptop for review in order to accelerate the investigation and counter what it called false accusations. The union has also sought a labor court injunction to “prohibit Thierig from further disseminating false claims.”
The clash comes as Tesla employees prepare to vote in works council elections scheduled for March 2–4, 2026. Approximately 11,000 Giga Berlin workers are eligible to participate in the elections.
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Tesla wins FCC approval for wireless Cybercab charging system
The decision grants Tesla a waiver that allows the Cybercab’s wireless charging system to be installed on fixed outdoor equipment.
Tesla has received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to use Ultra-Wideband (UWB) radio technology in its wireless EV charging system.
The decision grants Tesla a waiver that allows the Cybercab’s wireless charging system to be installed on fixed outdoor equipment. This effectively clears a regulatory hurdle for the company’s planned wireless charging pad for the autonomous two-seater.
Tesla’s wireless charging system is described as follows in the document: “The Tesla positioning system is an impulse UWB radio system that enables peer-to-peer communications between a UWB transceiver installed on an electric vehicle (EV) and a second UWB transceiver installed on a ground-level pad, which could be located outdoors, to achieve optimal positioning for the EV to charge wirelessly.”
The company explained that Bluetooth is first used to locate the charging pad. “Prior to the UWB operation, the vehicular system uses Bluetooth technology for the vehicle to discover the location of the ground pad and engage in data exchange activities (which is not subject to the waiver).”
Once the vehicle approaches the pad, the UWB system briefly activates. “When the vehicle approaches the ground pad, the UWB transceivers will operate to track the position of the vehicle to determine when the optimal position has been achieved over the pad before enabling wireless power charging.”
Tesla also emphasized that “the UWB signals occur only briefly when the vehicle approaches the ground pad; and mostly at ground level between the vehicle and the pad,” and that the signals are “significantly attenuated by the body of the vehicle positioned over the pad.”
As noted by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, the FCC ultimately granted Tesla’s proposal since the Cybercab’s wireless charging system’s signal is very low power, it only turns on briefly while parking, it works only at very short range, and it won’t interfere with other systems.
While the approval clears the way for Tesla’s wireless charging plans, the Cybercab does not appear to depend solely on the new system.
Cybercab prototypes have frequently been spotted charging at standard Tesla Superchargers across the United States. This suggests the vehicle can easily operate within Tesla’s existing charging network even as the wireless system is developed and deployed. With this in mind, it would not be surprising if the first batches of the Cybercab that are deployed and delivered to consumers end up being charged by regular Superchargers.
Elon Musk
Tesla posts updated FSD safety stats as owners surpass 8 billion miles
Tesla shared the milestone as adoption of the system accelerates across several markets.
Tesla has posted updated safety stats for Full Self-Driving Supervised. The results were shared by the electric vehicle maker as FSD Supervised users passed more than 8 billion cumulative miles.
Tesla shared the milestone in a post on its official X account.
“Tesla owners have now driven >8 billion miles on FSD Supervised,” the company wrote in its post on X. Tesla also included a graphic showing FSD Supervised’s miles driven before a collision, which far exceeds that of the United States average.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable. As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
Tesla also recently updated the safety data for FSD Supervised on its website, covering North America across all road types over the latest 12-month period.
As per Tesla’s figures, vehicles operating with FSD Supervised engaged recorded one major collision every 5,300,676 miles. In comparison, Teslas driven manually with Active Safety systems recorded one major collision every 2,175,763 miles, while Teslas driven manually without Active Safety recorded one major collision every 855,132 miles. The U.S. average during the same period was one major collision every 660,164 miles.
During the measured period, Tesla reported 830 total major collisions with FSD (Supervised) engaged, compared to 16,131 collisions for Teslas driven manually with Active Safety and 250 collisions for Teslas driven manually without Active Safety. Total miles logged exceeded 4.39 billion miles for FSD (Supervised) during the same timeframe.
Tesla Giga Berlin plant manager faces defamation probe after IG Metall union complaint
Tesla wins FCC approval for wireless Cybercab charging system
