Musk says the vehicle will be capable of handling long haul transport
As developments surrounding the Tesla Semi, due in September, continue to arise – the electric truck prompts wider road transport discussion.
The biggest concerns for the soon-to-be-unveiled electric truck, are tare weight and range.
Tare weight, range and cost aside, the question is whether Tesla plans on including the Semi in its urban tunelling venture, The Boring Company, which allows cars to travel at speeds of 200km/h on electric skates.
This is effectively like placing cars on flat-bed train carriages, so if this could be done with Trucks it could hold the potential to replace or reduce the need for rail.
Imagine picking up a load and driving it to a Tesla tunnel station, then travelling at 200km/h before getting back on the road to complete the delivery.
As far as range is concerned, Telsa CEO Elon Musk has now said the Semi will be capable of long haul distances and will utilise motors from the upcoming Model 3.
When Musk unveiled the teaser for the vehicle, he confirmed he’d driven a working prototype of the Semi and said it feels like a sports car.
While specific tare weight details are yet to surface, it’s sounding as though range and weight will both be suited to road transport applications.
Ownership of the Tesla Semi might also be a far simpler untaking than your average truck.
The automaker has announced plans to open company-owned body shops for out-of-warranty repairs of its car range, as well as expanding its network of third-party repairers.
Tesla also operates a mobile repair service which it plans to expand, a feature that if extended to the Semi could prove invaluable for road transport.
Of course, the all important question is would you drive one?
See Elon Musk discussing the Tesla Semi below.