FUTURISM

IN BRIEF

Elon Musk has tweeted that a prototype of Tesla’s new semi truck will be ready for a test drive in October. The technology has the potential of disrupting the long-range trucking industry.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has finally revealed the date for the unveiling of the much anticipated self-driving Tesla Semi truck. The latest Tesla offering will be shown and test driven for the first time on October 26th.

Back in April, Musk originally promised the unveiling would take place in September. The following month, Musk gave us a mysterious first look at the new truck, shrouded in darkness. Now, we will finally be able to see “this beast” in action.

Tesla’s semi concept (and others like it) have the potential to completely disrupt the trucking industry. For one, alleviating the ever-present possibility of overworked truckers falling asleep at the wheel could do a great deal to help make our roads safer.

The truck is reported to have a range of about 321-483 kilometers (200-300 miles) on a single charge. Although, this cannot match the range capabilities of traditional semis (almost 1610 km [1000 miles] on a single tank of fuel). There’s also a lack of refueling infrastructure to support extra-long ranges, so the autonomous electric freight truck revolution isn’t going to happen overnight.

Once the vehicles do hit the market (Musk has his sights set on 2020) the price is expected to be $100,000 — assuming the battery is leased separately. Highways filled with self-driving semis may be a vision of the future, but now more than ever, that vision is coming into focus.