Tesla Finally Reveals Sleek New Electric 'Semi' Truck
Elon Musk not only revealed the new electric semi, but added a surprise upgrade to the Roadster at the end of the presentation. Both vehicles will feature enormous range with the Semi passing expectations and Roadster holding a new record.
Updated May 17 2019, 9:43 a.m. ET
After being delayed from helping Puerto Rico recover from their disastrous hurricanes, Tesla finally unveiled their new electric semi on Thursday night. However, what’s been making headlines is the new sports car that Elon Musk rolled out toward the end of the announcement. How come? The second-generation Roadster adds style and range to the electric market.
The new Tesla Semi looks similar to other big rigs, but sports a refreshed, futuristic look. The truck itself looks like a helmet with ample space for the driver. Instead of focusing on self-driving features like they have in the past, they brought up the comfort and ease of long-distance driving. There will still be Enhanced Autopilot equipped into the system.
Perhaps the biggest nugget in the Tesla Semi reveal was the long range of 500 miles, surpassing expectations from industry analysts. That’s double the amount than other electric trucks set to come out. In order to fuel these big rigs and to keep them from hogging Supercharger stations, Tesla will be launching Megachargers that promise to charge 400 miles of electricity in 30 minutes.
How long will the Tesla Semi last? Musk said during the presentation that it would be able to go for a million miles without maintenance. That will be something to keep an eye on as the company has taken some losses on build quality issues of their new vehicles, Model S and Model 3. There will be a million-mile guarantee on the truck.
Without question, the biggest surprise of the event was the Roadster announcement, making its debut from the trailer of the Tesla Semi. The new second-generation edition of the sports car is an all-wheel drive four-seater that features a removable glass roof. It has the ability to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 1.9 seconds and can speed over 250 miles per hour.
The Roadster will also have the longest range in the electric vehicle market. Musk claims that owners will be able to travel 620 miles on a single charge with a 200 kilowatt-hour battery pack. He gave the example of going on a round trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco on the highway without needing to stop and recharge. He added that “driving a gasoline sports car is going to feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.”
Even though Tesla has been attempting to branch out to the mass market, these two new vehicles are clearly made for an audience with deeper wallets. The Roadster will open with 1,000 reservations at $250,000 that will need to be paid up front. After that, additional vehicles will be $200,000 with a $50,000 reservation tag. The Semi had no price tag revealed.
Production on the Semi will begin in 2019 with the second-generation Roadster picking things up in 2020. No details have been given on where production will take place. The announcements were met with high praise from fans and analysts, and Tesla’s stock rose with trading up 2.8 percent on Friday morning.
