The Sunday News
TESLA has unveiled its first electric articulated lorry, designed to challenge diesel trucks as king of the road.
The long-anticipated Tesla Semi has a range of 500 miles on a single charge.
Tesla says the vehicle — known in the US as a semi-trailer truck — will go into production in 2019.
Chief executive Elon Musk also unexpectedly revealed a new Roadster, which he said would be “the fastest production car ever” made.
The red sports car was driven out of the trailer of the electric lorry during Tesla’s presentation on Thursday.
The Roadster will have a range of close to 1 000km (620 miles) on a single charge and will do 0-100mph in 4,2 seconds.
Mr Musk described it as “a hardcore smack-down to gasoline cars”.
He said riding in traditional cars would be like driving “a steam engine with a side of quiche”. The new Roadster becomes available in 2020.
The Tesla Semi will achieve 0-60mph in 20 seconds when pulling 36 287kg (80 000lbs), the maximum allowed on US roads.
Speaking on stage at Tesla’s facility in Los Angeles, chief executive Elon Musk said: “It’s not like any truck that you’ve ever driven.”
However, the charismatic Mr Musk faces continued pressure from investors and customers as the firm struggles to meet demand for its Model 3 car. — BBC News
