Back in 2013, when Elon Musk first teased the idea of a pickup truck on Twitter, many thought he was kidding. First, the Tesla CEO had to make the company’s fledgling sedan, Model S, a viable contender before moving on to another project that bold. Sure enough, Model S won countless awards and gobbled up marketshare. Years later, Musk’s vision for a pickup truck — which certainly turned out to be bold — shocked the world.
Most of you reading this are in agreement: electric vehicles will upend the conventional vehicle industry within the next 50 10–20 years. The pollution industry in the world of transport will be destroyed. Gasmobiles stinking up cities, garages, lungs, hearts, and minds will be retiring to scrapyards and history books. But the endgame is sort of boring — yes, awesome, but boring since it is the end of it all.
To accomplish Tesla’s mission of electrifying the world’s transportation system, Elon Musk is planning to build a lot more than just luxury sedans and SUVs. As Tesla begins to expand its product line beyond its high-end niche with the Model 3, it is worth taking a step back to understand where we sit in Tesla’s broader vision. Although Tesla has only brought 3 cars to market (Roadster, Model S, and Model X), it has developed very advanced electric drivetrain, battery, and self-driving technology. Tesla is now in the process of leveraging this technological expertise to enter many new product categories.
