In a recent independent trial conducted by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a Tesla Semi electric truck achieved a distance of 1,732 kilometers (1,076 miles) in a single day. The trial, known as the “Run for Less” challenge, aimed to assess the capabilities of electric trucks, including the Tesla Semi, in real-world, commercial logistics scenarios.

During the 18-day Run for Less challenge, one of the notable highlights was the Tesla Semi’s ability to travel 1,732 kilometers in a single day. This accomplishment challenges the preconceived notion that all-electric, full-sized trucks lack the range for long-distance travel. Throughout the journey, the Tesla Semi made three charging stops.Two of these charging stops required less than 45 minutes each, while the third, around mid-day, lasted for over an hour and managed to boost the truck’s state of charge from 3% to nearly 90%. During the 1,732-kilometer journey, the truck spent 81.8% of the time driving, with charging breaks accounting for 11.1% of the time. The driving portion saw the truck maintaining speeds over 80 kilometers per hour (50 miles per hour) for 92.6% of the time.

While the exact cargo load on the specific day of the trial was not disclosed, the event organisers had previously stated that the average loads during the challenge were approximately 31.8 tonnes (70,000 lbs).

The NACFE challenge encompassed various electric trucks and vans, including Ford E-Transit vans, GM Brightdrop, Freightliner Cascadia, and Volvo VNR. The objective of the event was to assess which trucks had the capacity to contribute effectively and provide the necessary long-range capabilities for practical use in commercial logistics.