In my last blog, I featured the Toyota Mirai, their self-proclaimed car of the future. In today's blog, we are going to take another glimpse at the future in discussing the Tesla Semi Truck. Although the idea of a Tesla Semi is still a whisper based off of a suggestion. In his Master Plan Deux, Elon Musk alluded to a "Tesla Semi". According to Musk, the Tesla Semi will be ready within a few years.
Elon Musk's Master Plan Deux
Elon Musk could be described using a number of words. My personal favorite is visionary. 10 years ago, in his first Master Plan, Musk outlined a simple plan for Tesla as an electric car company. That plan, though simple, proved to be a powerful trajectory for Musk's electric car venture as now, over 10 years later, every one of Musk's predictions has come true. Now that his To-Do list has been officially all checked off, Tesla's CEO released a new master plan with an equally ambitious set of goals. The whole Master Plan Deux is a great read and I recommend it. This blog, however, is specifically focused on Musk's mention of a Tesla Semi. In the Master Plan Deux, Musk says:
In addition to consumer vehicles, there are two other types of electric vehicle needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport. Both are in the early stages of development at Tesla and should be ready for unveiling next year. We believe the Tesla Semi will deliver a substantial reduction in the cost of cargo transport, while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate. - Elon Musk
The Tesla Semi
So, here's what we know so far:
- The project is being led by Jerome Guillen, former Model S Program Director and VP of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla.
- The Tesla Semi will be ready to show off within a few years
- In my opinion, it will be constructed like a giant Model S/X. The basic science behind the Model S and the Model X is this: electric motors power the rear wheel drive and front wheel drive. Electricity for the electric motors comes from a giant battery nested inside the chassis of Tesla's consumer vehicles. So, if I had to guess, the Tesla Semi will have a massive, unthinkably huge battery along the entire bottom of the semi's cargo container and passenger cabin. Then, I'd assume that each axle will get its own electric motor as well.
- If the Tesla Semi is built like the Model S and Model X, the Tesla Semi might be an all-wheel drive Semi Truck.
- If the Tesla Semi is built to follow the concepts of the Model S and Model X, it will likely have autonomous driving sensors and technology, allowing it to drive itself much like the Model S is largely able to drive itself by virtue of Tesla's Autopilot feature.
A lot of the later points are largely my speculation, but we here at Drover are very excited to learn more about the Tesla Semi as details are released!
