Currently Tesla SEMI is by far the most efficient truck on the market.
It has:
- the biggest battery, currently not disclosed but estimated 800-1000kWh
- most efficient drivetrain (but it’s only few %) comprising of a permanently connected single speed motor responsible for high speed driving and tuned to achieve max efficiency at those speeds + additional motor with lower gearing and clutch that disengages the motor from the wheels when not needed to increase efficiency (it’s used mostly when accelerating from stop, when additional power is need, when additional regen is needed).
- by far the best aerodynamics of any truck (shape + side skirts)
Unfortunately the Tesla SEMI shape means shorter trailer in Europe (because of max total length regulation) and that is not acceptable for the European market. I am pretty sure that the aero gives Tesla SEMI >10% efficiency advantage at 88km/h compared to Mercedes eActros which is huge and should give a though to EU regulators to allow for longer trucks to improve efficiency (not only for EV trucks but for diesel also).
For EV trucks hilly/mountain terrain increases the consumption minimally since the trucks can recuperate almost all the energy during descent (unlike diesel trucks where it’s lost on braking/engine brake).
