As it stands today, when it comes to the market of pure electric automobiles, Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. ranks only second behind the Franco-Japanese partnership Renault-Nissan Alliance. So too is the Tesla Model S electric sedan the second all-time best-selling plug-in car after the Nissan Leaf (and the top seller for both 2015 and 2016). Not one to rest on their laurels, Tesla has since introduced the Model X crossover SUV and this year, the Model 3 mass-market sedan. This is all part of the grand plan by Musk to make electric automobiles widespread; the next step is to roll out perhaps the largest vehicle type yet to run on Tesla’s electric motors: a semi-truck.

Reveal pushed back

Actually, Elon Musk had already intimated as early as April of this year that Tesla was planning on a “seriously next level” reveal event this September for the plug-in electrical truck. Not much else was announced about this until the company’s second-quarter earnings call in August, wherein the chairman and CEO assured investors that the Tesla truck initiative will debut sometime this month. Finally, on Wednesday, September 13, Musk tweeted about the status of the of the Tesla Semi Truck. It really was still on, but the reveal has been pushed back a month to October.

Musk had written about the electric truck that its introduction would simultaneously reduce the cost of transporting cargo while increasing vehicular safety and ease of operation.

While many truck-using companies are highly interested to see Tesla’s truck, they might have to prepare for the possibility of waiting. The reveal date of October 23 is also tentative, meaning that should any developments come up the company could postpone it again. Still, there are many potential customers of a plug-in semi who will be going on that day to Hawthorne, California, home to Tesla Inc.’s design department and Musk’s other pride and joy, SpaceX.

Future ecosystem

All the hubbub regarding the Tesla electric truck spring from the sharp vision charted by Elon Musk in his company’s “Master Plan, Part Deux” which was posted on their official website in July last year. The goal of the plan was to eventually build up a grand sustainable energy ecosystem for the widespread use of electric semi-trucks, pickups, buses and other high-density passenger vehicles.

These vehicles, in turn, would be powered by a hybrid system of integrated solar and electric batteries.

The only report of specifications for the teased Tesla electric truck was that its single battery charge will have it cover a range of anywhere between 200 to 300 miles. A heavy vehicle needs to reach at least 200 miles to qualify as a long hauler; and Musk’s vehicle might just be able to do it, if the range extension of his other car models during Hurricane Irma is any indication of their batteries’ full potential.
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