Tesla Semi specs: 500‑mile long range

Tesla’s Semi story has dragged on for years, which is why this update matters. The company’s official Semi page now lays out the production-era specs in a way it really hadn’t before — including a 500-mile Long Range version, a 325-mile Standard Range version, and 2026 deliveries. For fleet buyers, that changes the conversation from “interesting prototype” to “can this pencil out on my routes?” The big deal isn’t just range. It’s whether the truck can run hard, charge fast, and still make economic sense. (tesla.com) ### What actually got confirmed? Tesla’s Semi page now shows two trims. Standard Range is listed at about 325 miles. Long Range is listed at about 500 miles. Both are Class 8 tractors rated for 82,000 pounds gross combination weight, with three independent motors on the rear axles and up to 800 kW of drive power. Tesla is also explicitly saying deliveries start in 2026. That’s the(tesla.com) product Tesla has put in front of customers so far. (tesla.com) ### Why is 500 miles the number everyone cares about? Because 500 miles is the threshold that makes an electric semi feel less like a niche yard truck and more like a real regional-haul machine. Plenty of freight moves in predictable out-and-back lanes — ports, warehouses, distribution centers, food and beverage routes. A 500-mile truck can cover a lot of those without heroic plan(tesla.com)ut it’s aimed more squarely at shorter regional work where lower battery cost and lower curb weight matter more than maximum reach. Tesla’s own site is basically framing the truck around that economics-first use case. (tesla.com) ### How fast can it charge? Fast enough that charging stops stop looking absurd. Tesla says its Megacharger can deliver up to 1.2 MW and add up to 60% of range in 30 minutes. The hardware page gives more detail — up to 1,200 kW, 1,100 A, and MCS 3.2 support. There’s also a 125 kW Basecharger for depot and overnight charging, which Tesla says can add up to 60% of range in four hour(tesla.com)ging story into two real-world jobs: quick turnaround and slow depot fill. (tesla.com) ### Why does efficiency matter as much as battery size? Because fleets buy cost per mile, not just battery bragging rights. Tesla lists Semi at 1.7 kWh per mile. Multiply that by 500 miles and you get a rough implied battery need in the mid-800-kWh range, which lines up with the estimates people have been making. But the exact battery number matters less than(tesla.com)ost, less time charging, and less battery mass for the same route. That’s the hidden lever in whether an electric Class 8 truck beats diesel on total cost. (tesla.com) ### What’s the catch? The catch is infrastructure. A 1.2 MW truck charger is great on paper, but fleets need utility upgrades, site design, and enough chargers in the right places. Tesla is selling both the truck and the charging gear, and it says the business chargers come with network operations and service support. Even so, this is still a depot-and-corridor buildout story, not(tesla.com)least not yet. (tesla.com) ### Do incentives change the math? Yes — a lot. In California, the Tesla Semi Long Range is listed in HVIP with a base Class 8 voucher of $120,000, and drayage operations can qualify for $150,000. HVIP says vouchers are applied at purchase, first-come first-served while funding lasts. Washington’s WAZIP is also live with point-of-sale discounts for medium- an(tesla.com)er price isn’t really the price many fleets will pay. (californiahvip.org) ### Why did Tesla wait this long to spell this out? Probably because specs only matter when the truck is close enough to buy. Tesla has talked about Semi for years, but buyers needed the boring details — trim split, charging standard, power, weight, delivery timing. That’s what turned up here. And that’s why this update matters more than another concept rendering ever could. (tesla.com) ### Bottom line The Tesla Semi now looks less like a promise and more like a product. The 500-mile Long Range version is the attention-grabber, but the real story is the package around it — 1.2 MW charging, route-ready efficiency, and incentive support that could make early fleet adoption much easier. (tesla.com)