Long-haul electric semi trucks have been talked about for quite a while, with the best known being, of course, the Tesla Semi, which we’ve been talking about . With Tesla’s Semi pushed back yet again, other competitors have started to enter the space, with the latest being Chinese carmaker Geely. The company had some pictures of its sleek-looking big rig leaked earlier today. It’s similar to Tesla’s Semi, but maybe even a little cooler looking?
Geely’s big truck was leaked in pictures uploaded to a website of one of the company’s suppliers, and was further exposed on Twitter:
It’s got a similar aerodynamic shape as the Tesla, but with a less dramatic front rake and a higher window line.
The lighting design is much more dramatic as well, with the traditional grille area of the truck replaced with a series of purplish illuminated streaks, and around the back we see taillights that I think look distinctly Mustang-inspired.
The rear also reveals what look like illuminated hook-up ports for hydraulic and other lines, as well as a lot of aerodynamic fairings, covering the tractor’s rear axles and the entire rear deck.
This is very different from what we’ve seen on Tesla’s Semi prototype, which appears much like a conventional diesel Class 8 heavy truck from the rear.
A source at Geely did tell me that a sleeper cab version of the truck has also been designed, and that the interior is “mind blowing.”
While Geely has been building and selling battery electric work trucks of for a while, this leak seems to show their first electric heavy-duty truck. Previous reports of Geely’s medium-and heavy-duty EV truck development have suggested China and the Americas as probable markets.
I wonder which will hit the market first? Geely or Tesla? Should we start a pool?