Tesla is expected to release a new big-rig truck model in September couple of travelling up to 300 miles (482km) on a single charge.
The electric car maker is believed to be making a push into the commercial freight market in a bid to extend the company’s market beyond luxury cars.
Chief Executive Elon Musk has suggested that in the near future a battery-powered heavy-duty vehicle would be able to compete with conventional diesels, which can currently travel over 1000 miles on one tank.
“A lot of people don’t think you can do a heavy-duty, long-range truck that’s electric, but we are confident that this can be done,” he said.
Scott Perry of Miami-based Ryder System Inc. believes Tesla’s early efforts will consist of an electric big-rig with no sleeper berth, which would appeal to the lower end of transportation,
“I’m not going to count them out for having a strategy for longer distances or ranges, but right out of the gate I think that’s where they’ll start,” Perry said.
It is thought that Tesla’s trucks would best serve regional routes, such as moving freight from a port to nearby cities or from the warehouse to retail areas. Interest in the electric sector continues to rise as companies seek to reduce their overall emissions targets and operating costs.
For the moment however it seems Tesla is keeping its plans under wraps, issuing this simple statement to Reuters:
”Tesla’s policy is to always decline to comment on speculation, whether true or untrue, as doing so would be silly. Silly!”
The plans come as Tesla ramps up production of its Model 3 sedan. The manufacturer hopes to produce 5,000 cars per week by the end of 2017, and to double that by the following year.
