Tesla Big Rig Unveiling — What to Expect

Tesla was originally set to unveil its electric semi truck on October 26 but was pushed back to focus on Model 3 production problems. Tesla is now set to reveal this all-electric semi this Thursday, November 16th and is live streaming it to the world. Could this be the game changer for shipping that Elon Musk has promised?

What we know so far

The Tesla semi will have a range of 200 to 300 miles per charge. Although impressive it does suggest that the semi may not suitable for long-haul journeys and will most likely start with regional deliveries.

We can expect huge power from the big rig, In a recent Ted Talk interview Musk stated that if a diesel semi and a Tesla semi played tug of war, the Tesla would pull the diesel up a hill. I’m looking forward to that being put to the test.

The semi would need to be priced under $225,000 for it to be of value to shipping companies. The reason being that a diesel semi would cost on average $120,000 but the saving made on transport costs would have the truck paying itself back in 5 years. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas has the said the cabs will be sold separately to the batteries, with the caps costing $100,000 and the batteries possibly to be sold under a lease agreement. Jonas also states the semi will be 70% cheaper to run.

Tesla has plans to also remove the most expensive part of the shipping costs, the driver. This would drastically reduce transportation costs even further. Although Tesla’s autopilot isn’t ready to go driverless just yet.

Once Tesla has been able to remove the driver completely they plan to add another cost-saving strategy known as platooning. This involves multiple trucks driving very close together to reduce drag and wind resistance saving a lot of battery power for the trucks behind. Having all of the trucks autopilots working together means that they can drive very close to each other without a risk of crashing.

Will it Work?

Yes, but slowly. Currently, Tesla is way behind in production for the Model 3 with only 260 produced, dramatically missing Musk’s prediction of 1600 cars produced by September. Tesla’s Fremont factory is already at full capacity and wouldn’t be set up to build the semi. Tesla will need to extend Fremont or build a new production facility and this will take time.

Tesla’s autopilot isn’t perfect just yet. Currently, a person is still needed behind the wheel. This means it’s not a huge selling point for shipping companies. Once all the bugs are worked out and the truck can be left to drive on its own it could be the true game changer we’re waiting for.

The current range offered isn’t suitable for long-haul journeys, where the true savings would be made. This could be a different story if Tesla were to offer more changing stations and superchargers across the US.

Conclusion

Tesla is hoping to do for the trucking industry what it was done for the car industry, make electric semi’s desirable. From the images and the renders, we have seen, this truck is going to look bad ass and will certainly turn a lot of heads but unfortunately, the design is not what will sell this truck. Shipping companies will be attracted by the price it costs and money and time it will save their business. It’s likely that Tesla has some companies already lined up to test there semi’s on the road once they have been launched. Its hard to say how quickly this new concept will be adopted but I’m excited to see where it goes.

You can live stream the event at 8 pm PT on the 16th November.