Elon Musk recently announced Tesla are holding an event to show off their latest vehicle, the Tesla Semi, on October 26th. Well ahead of the official unveiling, this morning we wake to a photo from Reddit that is a good quality photo of what definitely looks like the new Tesla Semi.
The all-electric truck has always been fighting against the physics of hauling so many lithium-ion batteries, which also having the power to pull heavy loads. Its expected to have a range somewhere in the range of 320km – 480km on a single charge.
Like the Model S (and X and 3), Tesla needs to use every trick possible to increase aerodynamic efficiency and with history of delivering some of the lower drag coefficient numbers to date, it looks like the truck is following suit.
Tesla Semi truck unveil & test ride tentatively scheduled for Oct 26th in Hawthorne. Worth seeing this beast in person. It's unreal.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 13, 2017
In terms of visual design it looks bad ass. The wrap around windscreen will be a fundamentally different driving experience, assuming the driver has to do anything at all. The amount of autonomous technology in the truck is yet to be determined, but given the sheer amount of km trucks do, and the staggering numbers of drivers falling asleep behind the wheel, its one of the biggest areas of transport that could take advantages from driverless technology.
The grey/black combination looks stealthy and tough, while also being futuristic in its sleek design. There’s a metal shroud on the ground behind the truck which reddit are speculating is another aerodynamic tool for long-haul transport and ensure the trailers do decrease the maximum possible range.
Some users are even going as far as photoshopping it on to the truck.
The original poster has since deleted the post, but of course there were plenty of people who captured it and have since re-shared it. That combined with the fact Tesla didn’t choose to cover the truck, while out in public makes you wonder how much a leak this really is, perhaps more of a tease.
