Tesla CEO Elon Musk has shown the brand’s upcoming lorry in an interview with academic media outlet TED
02 May 2017 | 6272 Views | By Jimi Beckwith, Autocar UK
The Tesla lorry has been part-revealed in a preview image shown during an interview with academic media outlet TED, with a September launch confirmed.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the image when detailing the brand’s future product plans and gave details of the truck’s performance.
Musk claimed that ...
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The Tesla lorry has been part-revealed in a preview image shown during an interview with academic media outlet TED, with a September launch confirmed.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed the image when detailing the brand’s future product plans and gave details of the truck’s performance.
Musk claimed that the heavy-duty, long-range HGV is capable of the heaviest class of haulage permitted on US roads, and has long-range capability, although he did not specify the lorry’s top hauling capacity or range.
The lorry is also claimed by Musk to produce greater torque than any lorry currently on the road, and said that it could pull a diesel-engined equivalent uphill in a contest.
Musk also claimed that the Tesla truck could be driven around ‘like a sports car’, and that he was taken by surprise by a development vehicle’s nimbleness when he drove it.
Much of the lorry’s styling is hidden in the preview, although the lights draw inspiration from the design of Tesla cars’ lights, with L-shaped daytime running lights.
Aerodynamics also appear to be a focus of the truck, with a sleek, tapered cabin. The truck's front section is hidden; whether it will have a long nose like American semi-lorries or a bluff front like European ones is yet to be seen. The latter is the more likely solution, though.
Tesla also has a Model Y small SUV, an electric cargo van, a minibus and a pick-up truck all slated for introduction in the coming years.