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 since 2017. 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:
1/3 Geely’s heavy-duty electric truck has been exposed in images uploaded to a supplier website. Codenamed AD21, the European engineered semi is set to be sold under the Farizon brand, offering what insiders suggest will be class-leading aero and … <cont.>@GeelyGlobal pic.twitter.com/kmvzDATCvv
— Greg Kable (@GregKable) April 8, 2021
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 various kinds 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?