Tesla reveals electric lorry to revolutionise haulage
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The company has spent more than a decade making cars - and, more recently, solar panels - and is now looking to diversify into big trucks to help its goal of shifting to sustainable transport.
The company unveiled its new articulated lorry near its design centre in Hawthorne, California.
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Chief executive Elon Musk said it is capable of travelling 500 miles on an electric charge and will cost less than a diesel truck considering fuel savings, lower maintenance and other factors.
Mr Musk said customers can put down a 5,000 dollar (£3,778) deposit now and production will begin in 2019.
“We’re confident that this is a product that’s better in every way from a feature standpoint,” he told a crowd of Tesla fans gathered for the unveiling.
Mr Musk did not reveal the lorry’s price.
The truck will have Tesla’s Autopilot system, which can maintain a set speed and slow down automatically in traffic.
It also has a system that automatically keeps the vehicle in its lane.
Mr Musk said several Tesla lorries will be able to travel in a convoy, autonomously following each other.
He said Tesla plans a worldwide network of solar-powered “megachargers” that could get the trucks back up to 400 miles of range after charging for only 30 minutes.