Tesla leaves the automotive and heavy transport world speechless. Alongside its new battery-powered truck, boasting 800 kilometres of range, comes a brand-new zero-emissions supercar with monstrous performance.
A conjuring trick worthy of the great David Copperfield. Elon Musk, founder and patron of the American marque Tesla, which specialises in electric cars, transformed the long-awaited unveiling of the brand's first battery-powered truck into an unprecedented event. Alongside the brand-new heavy vehicle, he revealed one of the most extreme and extraordinary zero-emissions cars ever seen. The Roadster supercar promises to debut a battery with monstrous power — no less than 200 kWh — to reach a top speed of 400 kilometres per hour and, above all, to offer an exceptional range of 1,000 kilometres. A new horizon. A sustainable horizon to which the Semi Truck will contribute in a decisive way. The "beast" for long-haul transport that will, surprisingly, boast performance exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.
The electrification of freight logistics is one of the most demanding challenges that technology will have to face in the coming years. A future brought close — very close, in fact — by Tesla which, with the Semi Truck, the first battery-powered truck in the American marque's history, promises to revolutionise heavy transport. The brand-new vehicle, whose deliveries will begin in 2019, will be, according to the Palo Alto brand, the vehicle with the lowest running costs in the world, as well as the fastest, the most aerodynamic, the safest and the most comfortable.
0 to 96 kilometres per hour in five seconds. A time worthy of a sports car! An extraordinary feat to which the newborn Tesla truck adds, thanks to the availability of four electric motors, a 0 to 96 kilometres per hour sprint in twenty seconds at full load (36 tonnes) and a range far exceeding the most optimistic forecasts: 800 kilometres instead of the 500 kilometres originally mooted. The vehicle's unveiling immediately sparked enthusiasm among financial analysts. Indeed, immediately after the announcement, the Californian company's share price rose sharply on the stock exchange. The reality, beyond the proclamations, is that several major transport companies had already had the opportunity to test the Tesla prototype. Tests carried out in great secrecy, but from which the concreteness and validity of the project are said to have emerged.
The Tesla truck will be charged using ultra-fast Megachargers — with a capacity exceeding even the current Superchargers, rated at 120 kW/h — capable of delivering an additional range of 640 kilometres in just thirty minutes. Record-breaking figures that leave room for two questions: what power will these super chargers — which will also harness solar energy — have, and, above all, what batteries will the American heavy vehicle adopt? The Californian vehicle will also be offered in a less extreme variant, with an average range of 482 kilometres. Regardless of the version, all Tesla Semi Trucks will be able to make use of a self-driving system derived from the Autopilot technology developed for the American marque's cars.
According to persistent rumours, Tesla's new autonomous driving system dedicated to the Semi Truck — the vehicle can be reserved with a deposit of $5,000 — could give rise to the trialling of the first "semi-autonomous convoys", with the lead vehicle operated by a human and the following vehicles, travelling in convoy along the endless highways of the States, entrusted to artificial intelligence, maintaining a minimal safety distance to the benefit of aerodynamic penetration and, consequently, maximising range. Elon Musk thus promises to usher in a new era for freight logistics. An era in which the concept of performance will be redefined by the arrival on the market of the Roadster.
There's no denying it, Elon Musk likes to keep a low profile… at the unveiling of the long-awaited battery-powered lorry, Tesla's chief executive, as mentioned, sprung a surprise by presenting the successor to the now-iconic Roadster. A car that the American manufacturer does not hesitate to call "the fastest car on the planet". An electric supercar that, once again, wrong-foots the competition by promising to redefine the concept of zero-emissions performance. At a base price of $200,000 (approximately €170,000).
It has nothing to envy the most recent hypercars. The second generation of the Californian sports car — the first, sold from 2008 to 2012, was based on the modified structure of the Lotus Elise — is a contender for the most high-performance Tesla ever. The most powerful, the most expensive and, moreover, the car with the greatest range ever produced by the Californian brand. Not only that, the car is expected to deliver 10,000 Nm of torque — an enormous figure — and to feature batteries of no less than 200 kWh. For comparison, the Model S P100D currently in the range, credited with 610 horsepower, does not go beyond 100 kWh. As if that were not enough, it will cover almost 1,000 kilometres on every charge (998 kilometres, to be precise) and will be driven by three electric motors — one at each rear wheel, the third at the front axle — which will result in electronically managed all-wheel drive. Although the car's power output has not been declared, the new Roadster will sprint from 0 to 96 kilometres per hour in 1.9 seconds (!) and will reach a top speed of 402 kilometres per hour. Performance worthy of hypercars costing ten times as much.
The new Tesla Roadster, expected on the market by 2020, promises surprising accommodation for four people thanks to its targa body configuration, with a removable glass roof that can be stowed under the front bonnet. No less revolutionary is the aerodynamics, characterised by a flat underbody, an imposing diffuser and integrated appendages that do not "clutter" the car's lines. To reserve an example, a deposit of approximately €42,000 will be required. The price of the future.