Tesla Semi Truck interior

5 minutes

by Paul Cotter

Since the vehicle's initial incarnation was introduced in late 2017, the interior of the Tesla semi has remained a mystery. The semi's interior at the time incorporated many of the original Model 3's components, from the dashboard to the driver displays. Tesla's new Semi homepage contained various inside modifications from the original Semi, and some of them are notable.

If the new pictures are representative of the final iteration of the all-electric Class 8 truck, the Tesla Semi production cabin will incorporate components from both the new Model S and Model X, as well as the Model 3 and Model Y. The Semi's center driving position, which offers drivers with a commanding perspective of the road, remains from the early prototypes.

We took this video from OSimon Alvarez YouTube Channel.

Also noteworthy is the apparent lack of stalks in the steering column, implying that changing gears and accessing amenities such as the wipers would need a little learning curve. The Semi is also expected to include twin phone chargers, which would be useful because drivers would be able to charge their phone and maybe a spare battery pack at the same time.

Let's take a closer look at the Tesla 18-wheeler interior features. Tesla claimed to have "designed it around the driver," however several features (or lack thereof) are incomprehensible to truck drivers. Starting with how much room it wastes with its central sitting position, which, although useful in hyper cars, is inconvenient in trucks.

The central driving position makes looking ahead and overtaking more difficult. Because a truck is a large vehicle, this occurs. If you're in the middle of the cabin, you're far from the lane's edge, where you can see more of the traffic ahead. On a two-way street, you may also observe incoming traffic.

While entering a plant or delivering something, truck drivers must pay tolls, interact with employees at gatehouses, and handle paperwork. The Semi does not include a window. In fact, it has no operable windows, so the driver will have to get out of their seat, open the door, and deal with anything they require - even in the cold.

The back doors of the cabin will need the driver to walk a short distance to their seats. Doing so in the winter with dirty footwear will ruin the cottage inside. A vehicle with direct access to the driver's seat avoids this from happening since they may remove their boots and go barefoot in the cabin. This would be especially helpful for pickup vehicles with beds. The semi lacks one, which may be regarded another weakness in the truck's design. If you think about it, it also tells a lot about the vehicle's restricted use, almost like a Class 8 last-mile truck, if such a thing exists.

A possible bed may be at the back, but it isn't since that's where the semi's doors are. Another idea is to install a bed over the windscreen. Even if the Semi was not designed for extended journeys, as the lack of a bed shows, truckers travelling late at night sometimes find it essential to take a little nap to maintain driving safely.

Massive truck displays are just not built for use in moving vehicles. Physical buttons that drivers can access without taking their eyes from the road are required. Even in dark mode, the screen reflects and shines excessively, making them unsuitable for night driving.

Because of the central driving position and the narrower cabin in the front, it is difficult for the driver to reach and wipe the rear-view mirrors.

The bullet form of the interior, which enforces an angled windscreen, is something Tesla is particularly proud of and something that impacts drivers. It is good for aerodynamics, but it will just help snow build up on top of it in the winter, and the tilted windscreen will transform the cabin into a glasshouse in the summer.