Comedian and former late-night television host Jay Leno towed a Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) Semi truck with a Tesla Semi truck in the most recent episode of “Jay Leno’s Garage.”
He walked away amazed by the sheer power of the vehicle.
In the latest episode of Leno’s hit show which airs weekly on YouTube and covers all things automotive, the comedian test-drove a Tesla Semi and chatted with senior manager of Semi engineering Dan Priestley and Tesla’s chief designer Franz von Holzhausen.
Priestley explained Tesla wanted to develop the vehicle to help “clean up the world” and be able to haul its own electric vehicles and vehicle parts on electric trucks, rather than using diesel-powered transportation.
The Semi was designed to be as aero-efficient as possible. Tesla wanted to give it enough power to be able to keep up with traffic and improve road safety.
About halfway through the video, Leno found out just how powerful the 1,500-horsepower “beast” really is.
He started off by driving the Tesla Semi without a trailer attached.
“It’s amazing. It moves just like a car … You don’t feel like you’re in some huge truck,” Leno said.
Priestley noted the turning radius on the Semi is about the same as the Tesla Model 3 or Model Y and uses a higher voltage range battery similar to what the Cybertuck will be equipped with.
Leno circled the block and then pulled back in to attach a trailer. The trailer had a low-roof Tesla Semi on board, weighing between 60,000 and 70,000 pounds, but he couldn’t tell.
“I don’t even feel like I’m pulling anything — it’s amazing,” Leno said.
“I can’t see the trailer in the mirror … so if you told me we didn’t hook up, we just pulled away, I would believe you.”
The Tesla Semi was first announced in 2017. The first delivery was made at the end of last year.
According to Tesla’s website, the Semi can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds while fully loaded. It can travel up to 500 miles on a single charge and regain up to 70% of range in just 30 minutes using Tesla’s Semi chargers.
Tesla said the Semi is approximately 2.5 times cheaper per mile than using diesel and estimated fuel savings of up to $200,000 within the first three years of use.
“This is probably the biggest revolution in trucking since trucks replaced trains,” Leno said.
Produced in association with Benzinga
