Tesla’s semi-prototype charges just like any other Tesla, but don’t expect them to unhitch its trailer.
One of two known Tesla Semi Prototypes was spotted more than halfway across the country at a Tesla Supercharging station in Peru, Illinois according to a Reddit thread that popped up on /r/Tesla earlier yesterday (Aug. 30, 2018.) With a class 8 Trailer still hitched to the Tesla Semi, if you happen to come across this massive Tesla and needed a charge yourself, you’d have to wait because it took up the entire row of spaces. Check out the photo and thread for yourself below.
Pit Stop in our local grocery store parking lot. The first time I’ve seen the charging stations being used! from r/teslamotors
And this Reddit user wasn’t the only one to spot this giant Tesla in their small town. This Instagram user caught it parked as well.
What a surprise it must’ve been to come across such a large Tesla in an unassuming town like Peru, Illinois. With a Hyvee Supermarket next door, it’s a smart choice to place your supercharger.
Whether Tesla likes it or not, these Tesla Semi prototypes aren’t exactly hard to find. If testing goes according to plan, with literally hundreds of orders from Tesla Semis from companies like UPS, Pepsi, and Sysco, Tesla should presumably start producing production versions of these trucks sooner than later.
Prototype testing has gone on all summer long with these Tesla Semis racking up the miles with a Class 8 trailer on its hitch gathering important information on how their semi holds up in real-world testing.
Just a couple of weeks ago, the other Tesla semi (or was it this one?) was spotted at an inspection station a stone’s throw away from Tesla’s Gigafactory. All trucks go through inspection passing through Donner Pass, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but still, pretty momentous as CHP posted about their special guest shortly after.
With Tesla’s semi battery pack much larger, by far, than their standard Tesla Model S, I wonder how long it would take to charge at a normal supercharger? With four separate motors and a battery pack anywhere between 500-800 kWh depending on who you’re quoting, on a regular supercharger, several hours at least.
So, if you see one pop-up on social media, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
