Tesla electric truck

The first electric Tesla truck will be presented on October 26, 2017. Obviously, it is almost already ready for the presentation, but we have not seen a single real photo, apart from the official video teaser from Tesla itself, until today.

The author of the photo posted it on Reddit and claimed that he made shots of Tesla Semi on a company’s California secret test site, where the Tesla carries out road tests of its products in the field of cars on electric traction.

Tesla truck appearance

The truck in the photo looks like to that one presented in the video teaser. The design of Tesla truck is futuristic and extra aerodynamic, and the configuration itself indicates that the engine is hidden much deeper than the conventional motor on other trucks.

The range and autopilot

The electric Tesla truck will receive a range up to 200-300 miles, which greatly limits the scope of such electric vehicles. Therefore, the truck will be used for local transportation.

In this case, even for such a relatively small distance, it will be necessary to use batteries with significantly higher capacity than in the existing Tesla cars, since it is not only about the movement of the truck itself, but also about cargo transportation.

Information on specific figures of the range was obtained from the management of the logistics company Ryder from Florida (USA), which participated in the collection of feedback from a representative of the transportation industry. The head of the company Scott Perry said, that Tesla will focus on the day cab segment which doesn't have a dedicated sleeping area and intended only for day trips around the country.

Note that the range of 300 miles is 2-3 times less than what classic trucks of a similar class can provide for the day of transportation, so it's not a universal offer for the transportation market yet. Electric Tesla truck will be able to win market share where the issue of reducing harmful emissions is acute, as well as on routes of the appropriate length, where conventional trucks or air transport will be much more expensive.

Reuters reported on electronic correspondence between Tesla and the Nevada State Motor Inspectorate, where the parties discussed potential routes for future testing of unmanned trucks. Thus, future electric trucks at least will be able to independently move after the convoy (truck platooning), and as a maximum, they will get a full unmanned system of Enhanced Autopilot. It is also known that Volvo is also developing a fleet of unmanned trucks.

The Tesla Semi truck may well change the trucking industry, especially taking into account the possibilities of autonomous movement. And for the Mask company, it is no less important than the electric vehicle Model 3 intended for a wide audience. In the future, transport companies will be able to save on the payroll due to the function of autopilot.

Tesla Motors is an innovative American company focused on the development and production of electric vehicles, as well as energy storage systems. Founded in 2003, the automaker was named after Nikola Tesla, a famous physicist and electrical engineer.