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Tesla Semi production specs: powertrain, battery, Megacharger output, and more

Credit: Tesla Inc.

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The Tesla Semi has already been delivered to its first customers, but the actual production specs of the vehicle remain largely unknown or unconfirmed at best. Fortunately, a recent trip to PepsiCo’s Frito Lay facility in Modesto, Caifornia has provided some details that otherwise reveal the Tesla Semi production specs. 

When Tesla held the first deliveries of the Semi, CEO Elon Musk highlighted that sustainable long-haulers are needed because in the transportation sector, semi trucks comprise about just 1% of vehicles on the road but they account for 20% of the emissions. Vehicles like the Tesla Semi are then designed to challenge this status quo. 

Automotive publication MotorTrend was able to visit PepsiCo’s Modesto Frito Lay facility to check out the company’s first Tesla Semi units. As noted by the publication, the Modesto facility is a perfect fit for the Semi as the site already uses other green vehicles like BYD 8Y yard tractors, Peterbilt 220EV electric box trucks, and natural-gas-powered Volvo VNL trucks. The Tesla Semi fleet is used for out-and-back trips across the region.

The publication was able to gather some details about the Class 8 all-electric truck from its drivers and Tesla representatives who were at the location during the visit. Following are some key specs of the Tesla Semi. 

Powertrain

The Tesla Semi features a modified Plaid tri-motor powertrain that’s spun backward. The Model S’ front motor drives the Semi’s rear axle and acts as the vehicle’s high-efficiency “highway drive unit.” The Model S Plaid’s dual rear motors, on the other hand, are installed on the rear axle. With this in mind, MotorTrend estimated that the Tesla Semi likely matches the Model S and Model X Plaid’s 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 pounds-feet of torque. 

This estimate makes sense considering that a Tesla representative reportedly noted that the Tesla Semi makes “three times the power of an average diesel semi.” The US’ best-selling semi is the Freightliner Cascadia, whose base model features 350 horsepower. Three times the base Cascadia’s horsepower certainly aligns with the estimate that the Semi has about 1,020 horsepower. On a side note, the Tesla Semi production version does not have a frunk, unlike the vehicle’s prototype units.

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Battery

Drivers of the Tesla Semi reportedly noted that the all-electric Class 8 truck is fitted with a 1,000 kWh battery pack. Tesla lists the Semi’s range as 500 miles per charge, and Elon Musk has also highlighted that the vehicle would consume only 2 kW per mile traveled.

If these estimates prove accurate, then the Semi’s 300-mile variant would likely have a battery pack that’s around 600 kWh. That’s still a lot of batteries, so Tesla would have to ensure that its production is optimized to ensure that the Semi is profitable. 

Megacharger Output

The Tesla Semi features a charging port that’s different from all the vehicles that the company has released so far. The motoring publication noted that the Tesla Semi’s Megachargers installed on the Modesto facility could provide around 750 kW of power, or about three times the output of the company’s Supercharger V3 network.  

The cables for the Tesla Semi’s Megachargers are thick, though they are reportedly easy to manage compared to some DC fast charging networks in the market. Charging the Semi from almost empty to 70% typically takes about 30 minutes. A full charge all the way to 100% reportedly takes around 90 minutes. 

Physical Controls

While the Tesla Semi’s controls are mostly centered on its two infotainment systems, the vehicle also sports several physical buttons. Among these are the parking brake, trailer-brake air supply, and the vehicle’s hazards. Other physical controls include stalks similar to those found in the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y, though some buttons on the steering wheel resemble those in the new Model S and Model X. 

Interior Space

The cabin of the Tesla Semi is cavernous, similar to the company’s other vehicles. MotorTrend noted that there’s enough space to enable a six-foot person to walk around and stretch in the Tesla Semi’s 3×7 foot cabin. So far, PepsiCo’s drivers seem to like the Semi, with some telling the motoring publication that the all-electric truck was very comfortable and “drove like a car.”

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Other Details

The use of the Tesla Semi’s dual infotainment systems is quite interesting. The right display functions as the Tesla Semi’s main infotainment unit, while the left display exclusively shows pertinent information about the truck, such as its tire pressure. The windows in the Semi’s cabin also open when needed, though they do not roll down. Some space in the cabin also seem to be reserved for customers who wish to order the Tesla Semi with a sleeper cabin. Images taken of the Semi’s displays also confirm that the vehicle is equipped with Tesla’s Full Self-Driving computer.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Cybercabs narrowly miss deadly Amazon cargo plane crash

An Amazon cargo plane crash near Miami’s airport stopped feet from dozens of Tesla Cybercabs.

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Photorealistic depiction of the Amazon Prime plane crash in Miami on Sep 3, 2026 near a fleet of Tesla Cybercab
Photorealistic depiction of the Amazon Prime plane crash in Miami on Sep 3, 2026 near a fleet of Tesla Cybercab

An Amazon Prime Air Boeing 767 cargo jet overran the runway at Miami International Airport on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and injuring five more. The jet, operated by North Carolina based carrier 21 Air as Flight 7598, touched down around 2 p.m. after arriving from San Juan, Puerto Rico, then crossed the airport perimeter, plowed across NW 67th Avenue and struck multiple vehicles before catching fire, according to the Associated Press.

Photos and video from the scene show the aircraft’s nose stopped within meters of a fenced staging lot holding dozens of gold painted Tesla Cybercabs, the steering wheel free robotaxi Tesla began putting on public roads in Austin last week. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue has confirmed the plane struck “multiple vehicles” but has not said whether any Cybercabs were among them, and neither Tesla nor airport officials have addressed the fleet directly.

The Cybercabs had not yet entered commercial service in Miami. Tesla’s existing Robotaxi operation there runs on modified Model Y vehicles and has been unsupervised since Ashok Elluswamy confirmed the detail on X in July.


Elon Musk offered the briefest of reactions. Replying to a Zero Hedge post about the Cybercabs sitting so close to the wreckage, he wrote a single word: “Weird.” He has not commented further, and Tesla has not issued a statement.

The timing puts Tesla’s newest vehicle near an unrelated but highly visible tragedy just days after its Austin debut, a launch that had already drawn scrutiny from federal regulators. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an audit how Tesla certified the Cybercab as compliant with federal vehicle safety standards, a process Teslarati covered after the vehicle’s September 3 launch event. That inquiry concerns the car’s lack of a steering wheel and pedals, not the Miami crash.

Investigators from the FAA and NTSB are focused on the plane, not the parking lot beside it. Flight data reviewed by outlets including Simple Flying show the 767 touched down around 170 knots, well above the 135 to 140 knot range typical for the aircraft, though investigators have not determined a cause. Amazon said it is working with authorities and that its priority is the safety of everyone affected.

Whether any Cybercabs were damaged, and what Tesla plans for the fleet parked near one of the country’s busiest airports, remain open questions.

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Tesla crosses major Unsupervised Self-Driving milestone

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has reached a notable benchmark in its autonomous driving program after its Robotaxi fleet surpassed one million miles of unsupervised operation. The company made the announcement during its Cybercab event in Austin on September 3.

Tesla Vice President of AI Ashok Elluswamy told attendees he was happy to report the fleet had achieved one million miles of unsupervised Robotaxi operation as a testament to safety.

The new total marked a sharp increase from the 380,000 unsupervised miles Tesla disclosed during its second-quarter 2026 earnings update in late July.

In roughly six weeks, the company added about 620,000 miles. That acceleration followed Tesla’s decision to remove in-vehicle safety monitors from most of its operations outside the San Francisco Bay Area.

Credit: Tesla

Tesla first launched Robotaxi service in Austin in June 2025 with safety drivers present. It later began fully unsupervised rides and expanded into Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. The San Francisco Bay Area remains the exception, where a safety monitor still rides in the vehicle under California permitting rules.

The company has not released a city-by-city breakdown of the one million unsupervised miles.

The milestone arrived as Tesla began offering public Cybercab rides in Austin. The purpose-built vehicle has no steering wheel or pedals and is designed only for autonomous ride-hailing. Production versions joined the existing fleet of modified Tesla vehicles already operating in the service.

Tesla’s unsupervised mileage is growing at a double-digit weekly rate according to earlier company comments, yet its fleet size remains modest compared with established competitors. Waymo has accumulated more than 200 million fully autonomous rider-only miles. Tesla has described its own unsupervised operations as having recorded zero notable incidents in the period leading up to the July update.

The one-million-mile figure reflects Tesla’s shift from supervised testing to broader driverless service in multiple states. It also highlights the company’s strategy of using both existing Model Y vehicles and the new Cybercab to scale its network.

Credit: Tesla

Whether the rapid recent growth continues will depend on further city expansions, regulatory approvals, and the performance of the purpose-built Cybercab in everyday paid rides. Tesla has not specified how many of the latest miles involved the new vehicle versus the rest of the fleet.

The announcement underscores Tesla’s progress toward a larger robotaxi network while illustrating the remaining gap in total autonomous experience relative to longer-operating rivals.

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Tesla Robotaxi will be a 24/7 service: here’s when

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Credit: @AdanGuajardo/X

Tesla AI lead Ashok Elluswamy said this week that 24-hour Robotaxi service is close. Replying on X to a rider who wanted Cybercab trips all night, he wrote that the capability would arrive “next month or so” once “the next tech to merge on the v15 plan” is ready.

The comment landed on September 4, one day after Tesla opened public Cybercab rides in Austin. It is the clearest near-term timeline yet for overnight unsupervised operation. Tesla’s paid Robotaxi network currently runs from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week across Austin, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa.

That 16-hour window is shorter than the 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. schedule the company used for much of the prior year.

Elluswamy did not name the specific feature or say whether the change would apply first to purpose-built Cybercabs, the existing Model Y fleet, or both. He also offered no city-by-city rollout list. The link to Full Self-Driving v15 is nevertheless significant.

Tesla has described v15 as a step-change architecture with seven parallel improvement tracks and roughly ten times more parameters than earlier builds. Early versions of that software already operate on the Robotaxi fleet and contain about 40 percent of the planned gains.

By July 2026, the unsupervised fleet had logged more than 380,000 miles across six cities in two states with what the company called an impeccable safety record and no notable incidents caused by the vehicles themselves. Tesla has repeatedly argued that camera-based end-to-end neural networks, rather than extra sensors, are the core of the solution.

Overnight service would test that claim in lower-light conditions and would also raise vehicle utilization, a key variable for Robotaxi unit economics. The company has already begun using public Superchargers at night and is building dedicated Robotaxi charging sites.

Riders have asked why software must change if the cars already drive in the dark. The practical answer appears to be reliability and scale: Tesla has held back mass expansion until more of the v15 stack is merged, citing the need for higher confidence before putting thousands of unoccupied vehicles on streets around the clock.

If the next module arrives on the timetable Elluswamy sketched, 24-hour service could begin in October 2026 in at least some markets.

That would mark a shift from a daytime-bounded pilot to a service that can run whenever demand exists, including the late-night hours that have so far remained out of reach.

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