Did Decathlon Plagiarize the Tesla Semi?

In partnership with the Chinese company Windrose, the sports equipment leader is developing its own electric truck, a copy of the Tesla Semi.

No one saw this coming. Then suddenly, on March 26, 2024, a press release from nowhere states that Decathlon is developing its own electric truck to reduce its carbon footprint. A second look at the publication date, and no, we are not on April 1st…

The shock is even greater because the vehicle in question, developed in partnership with the Chinese firm Windrose, features a design very similar to that of the Tesla Semi already presented 6 years earlier… and still not on the market. The Chinese did not waste time and rushed into the same niche.

The result is certainly less polished; the performance may be less refined, but the outcome is clear: Decathlon and Windrose have presented a trailer tractor capable of pulling 49 tons over a 600-kilometer route. Recharging to regain 400 km would take only 36 minutes thanks to a 400 kW charging power! Windrose specifies that the battery pack is 729 kWh.

Decathlon states that it is developing this truck in its warehouses in the suburbs of Beijing, China, to lower the carbon footprint of its global logistics. Even better: this truck will undergo testing as early as 2024 in France.

On board, the mimicry with the Tesla Semi is astonishing. The driving station is central, and the mirrors are represented by two large screens on each side of the steering wheel.

The danger for Tesla is that China will be able, much faster than the United States, to produce its semi-imitator. The concept of the electric truck was easily duplicable and quickly. Windrose seized the opportunity on the fly. And too bad if the product is highly refined; efficiency will indeed be there.

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