---
title: "A Tesla Semi Prototype Spotted in California is Swift, Sleek, and Silent"
description: "After Elon Musk's bombastic reveal of the company's new electric semi truck, Tesla is putting it to the test. A Tesla semi prototype caught on video in Sunnyvale, California reveals that the truck is nearly silent when driving."
date: "2018-01-20"
modified: "2018-01-20"
authors:
  - name: "Aylin Woodward"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/aylin"
url: "https://futurism.com/silent-tesla-semi-prototype"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "Electric truck"
  - "prototype"
  - "tesla"
  - "tesla semi"
---

# A Tesla Semi Prototype Spotted in California is Swift, Sleek, and Silent

![](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/semi-profile-hangar-2048x1152.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: \<a href="https://www.tesla.com/semi/assets/performance.jpg" target="\_blank"\>Tesla\</a\>\</em\>*

## Swift and Silent

Tesla's electric semi-truck is not only more environmentally friendly than its competitors, but it is also quieter than the typical diesel-powered truck that barrels down the street. An eight-second YouTube video, first [revealed by *Inverse*](<https://www.inverse.com/article/40339-tesla-semi-prototype-quiet-watch-video>), shows a sleek Tesla Semi prototype gliding swiftly and almost silently through an intersection in Sunnyvale, California, near the company's Palo Alto headquarters. Watch it below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time\_continue=7&v=kCH9GU-SAY0

The prototype features impact-resistant glass, a streamlined cabin design, and the ability to accelerate from zero to 97 km/h (60 mph) in five seconds when not carrying cargo. After [pushing back the unveiling date twice](<https://futurism.com/tesla-confirms-november-debut-electric-semi>) due to Tesla's Model 3 production delays and the company's humanitarian efforts in Puerto Rico, CEO Elon Musk finally [unveiled the much-anticipated Tesla Semi prototype](<https://futurism.com/watch-tesla-unveils-vehicle-change-trucking-forever>) in November 2017.

## Revolutionizing Hauling

Though the lowest-priced model costs a cool $150,000, the truck is supposed to travel 483 km (300 miles) on a single charge. The more expensive $180,000-model can go even farther, with a range of 805 km (500 miles). While those [costs were higher than some analysts anticipated](<https://futurism.com/tesla-semi-priced-150000>), Musk asserted that the electric semi costs less to operate than typical diesel rigs by about $0.16 per km ($0.25 per mile).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time\_continue=2&v=5RRmepp7i5g

Though the vehicle isn't scheduled for production until 2019, companies are already buying into Musk's sales pitch of a cheaper, greener truck en masse. By the end of 2017, 18 companies — including Walmart and Pepsi Co. — had pre-ordered at least one truck. UPS topped the list,[ reserving 125 vehicles](<https://futurism.com/category/advanced-transport>).

Hopefully, Tesla's production team will be able to keep to Musk's scheduling promises. But the odds could be slim, given that the company's Model 3 electric car production [fell well short of Musk's 2017 goals](<https://futurism.com/tesla-failed-meet-elon-musks-model-3-goals-now-what>). Delayed production or not, however, this new YouTube footage reveals that the new truck will be making our streets quieter whenever it does finally hit the road.