Elon Musk is known for his attitude to this world — he always wants to do more. Tonight he unveiled the long-awaited Tesla electroform Semi. Equipped with a massive battery the truck is capable of hauling 36 tons. It can even go on their own! On the highway, at least.
New vehicles, presented Musk in the Tesla design center in Hawthorne, California, is the next step in the mission of Mask, the aim of which is that mankind has forgotten about fossil fuels and moved into clean energy. So be it, if the Mask will be able to convince the transport industry that needs to move on.
The truck for work
Musk believes that to deal with the big guys — the best way to have a real impact on climate change. In the five years that have passed since then, as Tesla began producing the Model S sedan, the company sold 200,000 vehicles. In the U.S. roads are about 250 million cars, so those 200 000 — a drop in the ocean. Even if Tesla can increase production of “affordable” Model 3 sedan, it will be a long time before a car manufacturer from Silicon valley will be able to change the very principles of the movement of humanity, who rely on fossil fuels.
Trucks — any tool because they are particularly toxic. “Heavy vehicles represent a small portion of vehicles on the roads, but take most of the emissions,” says Jimmy O Dia that studies clean transport means Union of concerned scientists. In California, this category accounts for 7% of the total volume of vehicles, but 20% of transport-related greenhouse gas emissions and a third of NOx emissions (which are associated with asthma and respiratory diseases).
Any truck that will use electricity instead of diesel fuel, will cease to have a negative impact on the planet and everything living on it. 18-wheeled monsters — the ultimate evil. While many people think and develop electric trucks from Tesla for it and have the resources and engineers, and power. Most importantly — she has the power to attract the attention of the entire automotive industry.
The cabin is carbon fiber on the outside presents a smooth lines. Aerodynamics is important when talking about fuel economy, and counting the number of electrons, and Tesla promises that Semi will cut through air more efficiently than even some sports cars.
Look in the cab of the Semi and you will have no doubt that Tesla knows how to redo the truck. As in the famous sports car McLaren F1 (the Mask was like this until he broke it, riding with Peter Thiel), driver’s seat is located in the centre of the cabin. Because the truck had to build around a bulky diesel engine, Tesla made the nose of the cab vertical, and most importantly gave the seat so far forward that you can see the ground in front of the vehicle. Head over to the storage drawers, there are also four cups holder.
Cab height — about 220 cm, so anyone can get. Doors extend from the bottom to the top of the cab, providing easy access. The man driving gets access to two 15-inch touch screens, one on each side, which provide navigation data and monitoring blind spots. The only button in sight controls the emergency lights, everything else is done with the help screens or two levers coming out trespicio the steering wheel.
Tesla took care of security. The battery is reinforced, so it does not explode or caught fire; reinforced windscreen should not smudge or crack, and side sensors will warn of possible drifts of the trailer and adjust power to individual wheels so that they all were level.
And of course, the truck will get Enhanced Autopilot, the autopilot, which would allow him to drive the highway yourself, staying in its lane and at a safe distance from neighbouring cars. To the front of the car has a built radars, cameras everywhere.
Battery — the amount of which Tesla does not disclose — has been in space about five feet in height and extends from the front wheels to the second pair. Behind the cab there are four motor are the same as in Model 3, two on each axle. In the documents EPA found that one engine Model 3 generates 258 horsepower, which gives a Semi 1032 HP, more than double the majority of diesel trucks of this size. But in trucks important torque — and here Tesla also did not disclose the data and the electric motors become Champions when it comes to acceleration from zero.
Work for trucks
And everything is fine, but the Mask still need to sell this thing. And while sales have never made him (in the end, half a million people have reserved a Model 3, and thousands ordered it before I saw the prototype specifications or found out the final price), truckers is a problematic audience. Many companies are open to new solutions, says Anne Goodchild from the Centre for supply chain and logistics at the University of Washington. But they don’t like to experiment. “Not many would dare to experiment with it in their daily work,” she says.
They don’t like news, they don’t chase cool. They care about total cost of ownership, which includes everything from initial cost to fuel, maintenance and downtime. “We have to provide a product that will effectively allow them to make money,” says Darren Gosbee from Navistar, which produces trucks and buses.
The Tesla truck should have the advantage in fuel costs (electricity is always cheaper juice from dinosaurs) and maintenance, but downtime can be a problem. Musk can promise a charger that will be able to quickly revive the battery, but this kind of fast charging requires a specialized infrastructure. Even if Musk can build the station, build them across the country and will make several workable routes, drivers will spend more time to stop than on diesel go and is unprofitable.
Perhaps the biggest issue is how Tesla will curb long-haul journeys. Talking about electric tractors, Gosby notes that “the worst option is to dial 100 km/h and just drive”. Moving in States across the country will require the extension of infrastructure, and the cruise walk spoils the advantage that you get from regenerative braking.
“It’s a good transport that does not travel over long distances and has a lot of maneuvers, stopping,” says Gosbee. That is, the trucks that drive around the city, carrying out shipping and transport. They will have advantages: they don’t visit too far, they can be charged in one and the same place every night, they constantly brake, whereby it is possible to replenish energy and diesel trucks in the cities just spoil the air.
Heavyweight
Wait a second, you might say. We all observe with interest the adventures of Ilona and all the question arises how this person can think that now, right now, the best time to manufacture a completely new type of vehicle? Production of the Model 3 sedan for $ 35,000, which marks an attempt Tesla become a real automaker, is behind schedule by several months. In recent months the company’s shares sank, and in the courts of the representatives of Tesla forward with an explanation of the alleged problem of sexism and racism in the company.
Maybe you will not find. But it is unlikely to stop the Mask in his feverish activity. This man is trying to move humanity to Mars, is building reusable rockets, trying to prevent the Apocalypse with robots, and destroys the tube, digging tunnels, and plans to launch people into the Bob sverhsvetovoy pipe. And all fucking at once. Just think, a couple of trucks to put on the conveyor.
Want to know his secret?
Elon Musk introduced Tesla electroform fantastic new Semi
Ilya Hel