This story about the Tesla Semi was first published by Gas2.
It’s hard to keep a secret in a world inundated with digital devices. Photos popped up on reddit yesterday of what appears to be the Tesla Semi being delivered to an area in southern California that is frequently used by Tesla as proving ground for upcoming products. Teslarati identifies the location as Inyokern Airport, which is about 150 miles north of the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne (where the Model 3 was first shown to the public).
The Express in the UK picked up on the photos and pointed out some interesting things it sees in them. First, the Tesla Semi is practically svelte compared to the conventional tractor that towed it. Gone are the huge frontend where the traditional diesel engine resides and the barn door side-view mirrors commonly associated with big rigs.
The Tesla Semi is more of a cab-over design, thanks in part to the fact that it uses electric motors instead of a gigantic diesel. The truck seems to have been designed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency, which will be critical to achieving the relatively long range of up to 300 miles Elon Musk says it will offer.
Advance notification has gone out to Tesla owners who have sent 5 or more customers to the company during its latest referral campaign, telling them to expect an email later this month with details about the official unveiling event scheduled for October 26 at the Design Center in Hawthorne.
Tesla “Save the Date” email for its October 26 Semi-truck event courtesy of Like Tesla
There is so much we don’t know about the Tesla Semi. Will it use battery swapping or does the company have some new high-speed, super-high-power charging scheme in mind? Where will the trucks be manufactured? When will production begin? What companies have expressed an interest in buying them and how many will they buy?
We should know the answers to all those questions by the time October 26 rolls around. Tesla is famous for throwing gala parties when it takes the covers off a new product. No doubt the ceremony to introduce the Tesla Semi to the world will be no different.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, want to advertise, or want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
