Tesla is set to unveil on Thursday its long-delayed Semi, a 18-wheeler heavy duty vehicle that has faced skepticism from industry experts who doubt battery electric trucks can take the strain of hauling hefty loads for hundreds of miles.
The launch marks the electric carmaker's first foray into the trucking business as U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is set to offer a generous US$40,000 tax credit for clean commercial vehicles.
The billionaire, who now runs five companies after buying Twitter, has a record of overpromising on Tesla's products. Robyn Denholm, chair of Tesla, recently said the automaker might make 100 Semis this year. Musk announced the start of production of the truck in early October, and said food and drink giant PepsiCo would get the first deliveries on Dec. 1.Some analysts believe it will be harder for the automaker to penetrate the commercial truck market than the mass car trade.
"Tesla team just completed a 500 mile drive with a Tesla Semi weighing in at 81,000 lbs!" Musk tweeted last week. For Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who has expressed skepticism about all-electric trucks, Musk said: " can drive it himself if he wants!." "A lot of us are kind of skeptical, because no one else has been able to prove that they can do it," said Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency who attended Tesla's first prototype Semi presentation in 2017.
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