Photo: Tesla
Back in April, a tirade of tweets from Elon Musk confirmed Tesla’s plans for many, many all-new models, including an electric pickup truck. The big news, literally and figuratively, is the electric semi truck that’ll be shown next month.
Not much is known about the long-haul EV except that it will be appropriately massive. The teaser image doesn’t help either, revealing a squared-off design and LED headlights. But according to Automotive News, Tesla aims to make the big-rig truck capable of traveling up to 300 miles (483 km) on a full charge.
That’s ambitious, to say the least, more so when you bear in mind diesel-powered long haulers can rack up 1,000 miles on a tank of diesel. Stuffing so many batteries in a limited space, the weight of those batteries, a lot of variables have to be taken into consideration for Tesla to reach its target.
As per Scott Perry, chief technology officer and chief procurement officer at fleet operator Ryder System Inc., he was told to look forward to a day cab with no sleeper berth. Whatever happens, it is worth highlighting Tesla is the kind of automaker that doesn’t shy off from adapting a design during development. What’s more, self-driving tech stands high on the priorities list for the e-workhorse.
Other than the problem put up by Tesla’s production ramp-up with the advent of the Model 3, think about the cost of the batteries needed by a heavy-duty hauler. There’s a silver lining on the horizon’s line, though, and that is automaker such as Daimler AG pushing for the electrification of short-haul workhorses. If Tesla does break the 200-mile mark with the yet-unnamed commercial vehicle, then Musk will need to brood over the resources, production planning, the whole nine yards.
The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, for example, is packing 200 kilometers (124) miles of range and a payload of 12.8 tons (28,220 pounds). The juice comes courtesy of a 212 kWh battery, and if the customer trials are met with positive feedback, series production will start in 2020.
Can Tesla make its semi happen by then? Let’s wait and see.
That’s ambitious, to say the least, more so when you bear in mind diesel-powered long haulers can rack up 1,000 miles on a tank of diesel. Stuffing so many batteries in a limited space, the weight of those batteries, a lot of variables have to be taken into consideration for Tesla to reach its target.
As per Scott Perry, chief technology officer and chief procurement officer at fleet operator Ryder System Inc., he was told to look forward to a day cab with no sleeper berth. Whatever happens, it is worth highlighting Tesla is the kind of automaker that doesn’t shy off from adapting a design during development. What’s more, self-driving tech stands high on the priorities list for the e-workhorse.
Other than the problem put up by Tesla’s production ramp-up with the advent of the Model 3, think about the cost of the batteries needed by a heavy-duty hauler. There’s a silver lining on the horizon’s line, though, and that is automaker such as Daimler AG pushing for the electrification of short-haul workhorses. If Tesla does break the 200-mile mark with the yet-unnamed commercial vehicle, then Musk will need to brood over the resources, production planning, the whole nine yards.
The Mercedes-Benz Urban eTruck, for example, is packing 200 kilometers (124) miles of range and a payload of 12.8 tons (28,220 pounds). The juice comes courtesy of a 212 kWh battery, and if the customer trials are met with positive feedback, series production will start in 2020.
Can Tesla make its semi happen by then? Let’s wait and see.
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