Tesla Semi Electric Truck Unveiled, Gets Electric Range of 800 Km

Tesla Inc has finally unveiled the prototype of its electric big-rig truck, a first time entry for Tesla in the commercial vehicle space. Unveiled by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Inc., the U.S. based company has entered into a new market even as it struggles to roll out the Tesla Model 3 affordable sedan on which the company's future depends. Dubbed as the Tesla Semi, the truck was brought to the crowd by Elon Musk by riding the truck into an airport hangar near Los Angeles in front of an invited crowd of what Tesla said were potential truck buyers and Tesla car owners.

Musk has described electric trucks as Tesla's next effort to move the economy away from fossil fuels through projects including electric cars, solar roofs and power storage. The Semi can go up to 500 miles (800 km) at maximum weight at highway speed, Musk said. Other diesel trucks are capable of traveling up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) on a single tank of fuel.

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The Tesla Semi can also go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (100 km per hour) in five seconds without cargo or reach 60 mph in 20 seconds at the maximum weight allowed on U.S. highways of 80,000 pounds (36,300 kg). "I can drive this thing and I have no idea how to drive a semi," Musk joked.

Ahead of the unveiling, Tesla executives showed off the Class 8 truck to journalists, describing it as "trailer agnostic," or capable of hauling any type of freight. Class 8 is the heaviest weight classification on trucks.

The day cab - which is not a sleeper - has a less prominent nose than on a classic truck, and the battery is built into the chassis. It has four motors, one for each rear wheel. Tesla designed the cab with a roomy feel and a center seat for better visibility, executives said. Two touch screens flank the driver.

The truck has Tesla's latest semi-autonomous driving system, designed to keep a vehicle in its lane without drifting, change lanes on command, and transition from one freeway to another with no human intervention. Reuters reported in August that Tesla was discussing self-driving trucks with regulators in Nevada and California, but the company did not mention full autonomy in a release on the new vehicle.

Earlier this week Musk tweeted that the truck would "blow your mind clear out of your skull," joking, "It can transform into a robot, fight aliens and make one hell of a latte." Tesla faces a much more crowded field for electric trucks than it did when it introduced its electric cars.

Manufacturers such as Daimler AG, Navistar International Corp and Volkswagen AG are joining a host of start-ups racing to overcome the challenges of substituting batteries for diesel engines as regulators crack down on carbon dioxide and soot pollution.

Charging and maintaining electric trucks that crisscross the country could be expensive and complex. Tesla said the truck can charge 30 minutes and then travel 400 miles.

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With inputs from Reuters.