Work Truck Magazine, December 2017

DECEMBER 2017 WORK TRUCK 37 vehicle health and even anticipating when maintenance is required Another standard feature according to Musk is Teslas enhanced Autopilot autonomous vehicle control system which uses cameras mounted around the truck to support a full range of autonomous driver aides including automatic emergency braking automatic lane keeping assistance lane departure warnings and an event log Additionally Musk said the truck is capable of automatically contacting emergency services if there is no driver response in the wake of an emergency braking event This is a massive increase in safety he added In another eyebrow raising statement Musk said that Tesla Autopilot will also enable truck platooning operations which he called convoys In this operating mode Musk said a convoy of Tesla trucks would then be half as expensive to operate as diesel trucks and 10 times safer than with a human driver Overall Musk said the efficiency of a Tesla truck convoy would beat rail The Bottom Line Musk wound up his Semi pitch by noting the importance of reliability in fleet operations and pointing out that a Tesla Semi has no internal combustion engine exhaust aftertreatment system transmission axles or differentials to maintain In fact a storage compartment is located in the nose of the truck he said Reliability is incredibly important Musk finished Were guaranteeing this truck will not break down for a million miles If two motors happened to break down the truck would still move and even at that reduced capacity it would still reportedly beat the speed of a diesel powered truck Musk wrapped up his presentation by saying that Tesla was taking orders for the new Semi truck now with full production slated to begin in 2019 If fleet response to Teslas new truck proves to be as positive as that of the automotive customers on hand last night it is likely Musks new truck will carve out a niche for itself in North Americas highly competitive commercial vehicle market WT A Simple Design Musk also touted the simplicity of the design and its operation noting that there was not transmission or gears that had to be shifted constantly adding Driving a diesel truck today is a pain This truck has one gear and is so easy to drive anyone can do it I can drive this thing and I cant drive a semi Musk also outlined his economic case for his new truck explaining that at an operating cost of 126 per mile a Tesla Semi will be 20 cheaper to operate than a comparable diesel truck which he said typically runs at 151 per mile Jackknifed trailers would be a thing of the past for fleets running the Tesla Semi Musk added since its four independently controlled electric motors were able to apply positive or negative torque to the drive wheels as well as independently applied brakes while backing to allow a trailer to track smoothly An Open Interior Turning to the Semis interior Musk told the packed hanger that the truck has a beautiful spacious interior that you can stand up inside The two touchscreen displays mounted on each side of the drivers seat allow access to the trucks navigation system blind spot sensors and electronic logging device along with other controls and gauges Tesla telematics and self diagnostic capability will be standard on the truck Musk added with a Tesla app giving fleets updates on Above Tesla Founder Elon Musk unveiled the all new all electric Class 8 truck called Semi at the SpaceX headquarters in Southern California Below The interior of the Semi is spacious featuring touchscreen displays and plenty of room for drivers to stretch out and stand up in the cab