Tesla - The New Electric Truck

Tesla, the world's biggest electric car manufacturer, has entered the truck market with the delivery of its first Semi model.

It has been a long time coming, having been unveiled by chief executive Elon Musk in 2017.

But how environmentally friendly is it and is it capable of long-distance haulage? Here's all you need to know:

How is the Tesla Semi different from other trucks?

First and foremost, it's all electric, so has significantly reduced emissions, while also having impressive acceleration — for a truck — of zero to about 100kph in 20 seconds.

Mr Musk said the Semi has three times the power of any diesel-powered lorry and uses regenerative braking to improve efficiency.

Tesla said charging with electricity is about 2.5 times cheaper per mile than refuelling with diesel.

Trucks in Semi's category represent just 1 per cent of US vehicle sales but 20 per cent of overall vehicle emissions, the company said.

“This thing has crazy power relative to a diesel truck,” Mr Musk said. “Basically, it's like an elephant moving like a cheetah.”

It has a central seating position, while “an all-electric architecture reduces both rollover risk and cabin intrusion in case of an accident”, Tesla said.

No details were given on driver-assistance technology.

How far can it drive?

Indeed, cargo needs delivering over long distances, especially in the US.

And electric vehicles, of course, require frequent charging.

Tesla showed a time-lapse video in which a Semi, which was said to be “fully loaded”, drove 500km on a single charge.

It said it can recover up to 70 per cent of range in 30 minutes using Tesla’s Semi chargers, and operators can see estimated fuel savings of up to $200,000 within their first three years of ownership.