Elon Musk delivered a huge surprise as Tesla revealed two future vehicles, the Tesla Semi truck and the second-generation Tesla Roadster during the company's reveal party.
The Tesla Semi is a fully electric truck that the company claims to be capable of hauling 80,000 pounds. The truck's massive battery can take it to up to a 500-mile range in a single charge and with a full load. The statistics beat early predictions about its capabilities.
The Semi packs a punch when it comes to acceleration. With an empty trailer, it can go to 60 miles per hour from a full stop in just five seconds, a feat that is commonly associated with high end sedans and not hauling trucks. With a full load, the truck will take 20 seconds to reach that speed, which is still a lot faster than most diesel-powered big rigs.
Aside from the Semi, Musk also unveiled the second generation Roadster. The first generation of the sports car was first introduced in 2012, and now its revival seeks to reestablish the company's reputation for performance-oriented electric vehicles.
According to Musk, the Roadster can go from zero to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds. This will make the Tesla sports car the fastest production car in the world in terms of acceleration. Its top speed is projected to be no less than 250 mph.
On top of that, Tesla claims that the new Roadster as a whopping range of 620 miles, which would be enough to go from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back in a single charge. This kind of range is unheard of in electric vehicles, and even gasoline-powered cars need to stop for fuel when travelling that far.
The Semi is expected to arrive in 2019, while the new Roadster will be released in 2020. The two new vehicles serve as beacons of hope for the company's future. In addition, the announcement of the new vehicles comes as a distraction from the company's less than stellar financial performance in recent months due to production woes encountered in the delivery of the first mass market car, the Model 3.
