Tesla has been hinting at a new Tesla truck and potential features for a few years now but it is official — there will be a Tesla truck. The Model Y was unveiled earlier this year and met some, but not all, of our expectations. The Tesla pickup truck has been teased much less, but through a deep dive of tweets, podcasts, and statements made by Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, we have been able to compile a list to give a general idea of what the new Tesla truck specs might be.
What is the Tesla Pickup Truck Called?
Tesla pre-named their first 4 mass produced vehicles the Model S-E-X-Y for a quirky naming scheme. The Model E was renamed to the Model 3 after Ford claimed the trademark for its use. Tesla also introduced a semi-truck dubbed the Tesla Semi and their first car, the Tesla Roadster, was a roadster.
I think we should be inconsistent in our naming conventions after Model Y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 30, 2016
We currently call it the Tesla Truck and it could very well end up being the official name. Elon Musk himself has referred to it as the “Tesla truck” or “Tesla Pickup”. We do not expect anything creative with Tesla’s new naming schemes going forward, as historically they have been pretty direct. Most recently, Elon referenced the truck through the name Cybertruck.
“I like calling things what they are. So Roadster is called ‘Roadster’ because it’s a roadster. There is no good word for ‘sedan’ so we couldn’t call it ‘the Sedan’. It wouldn’t work, or ‘Saloon’. There’s just like literally no word. So the Model S stands for ‘sedan’…. It’s X for ‘crossover SUV’.”
Tesla Truck Interior
The Tesla pickup truck was stated by Elon Musk to have six seats. What’s interesting to note is that this is a rare occasion of a deleted tweet by the Tesla CEO. We can’t decipher further than this, so it is anyone’s guess as to how many people the new Tesla truck holds. Six however sounds reasonable given that the Model Y can hold seven.
With its expected size and utility, we would not be surprised if the Tesla pickup truck boasted a dual display such as the ones found in the Tesla Semi.
Tesla Truck Range
400 to 500 mile option definitely. Higher, maybe.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 27, 2018
Elon Musk has stated that the new Tesla truck will come with a 400-500 mile range, possibly higher. This would put it in line with competitors such as Rivian who will release with a 400 mile range as well. Tesla is known and has a history of one-upping everyone around them so we expect the Tesla truck to be at the higher range of that spectrum.
The largest battery Tesla currently has available is 100 kWh. It is used on both the Model S & X Long Range. On the Model S, this battery gives the electric car a 373 mile range. In order to achieve a 500 mile range on a vehicle larger, less aerodynamic, and much heavier than a sedan, the Tesla truck will need a much larger battery. Rivian is using a 180 kWh battery to achieve their 400 mile range. Some analysists expect the new Tesla truck to have a 200 kWh battery.
No plans to take X, S (or 3) above 100 kWh. Semi necessarily and pickup truck maybe will go above.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 7, 2017
Features
This upcoming electric truck will most likely fall in line with the luxury status Tesla provides, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be able to be utilized like a standard work truck. The new electric truck comes with features set to excel anything currently on the market. The Tesla truck towing capacity is set at a ludicrous 300,000 lbs.
300,000 lb towing capacity
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 27, 2018
This is a bit ridiculous as the largest consumer truck Ford currently makes has a 21,000 lbs towing capacity, but it is not impossible. Last year we saw a Tesla Model X tow a 287,000 lb airplane across a runway. However, for how long of time will the Tesla Truck be able to tow 300,000 lbs before overheating or losing all energy is left to be seen.
The Tesla pickup truck will also feature dynamic and adjustable air suspension as standard. Currently available in other Tesla Models with air suspension, this feature will lower the truck while driving at high speeds to improve performance and handling but raise it when you need to take your truck off road. The feature will also be manually adjustable just like it already is in the Model S & X.
We obviously expect the Tesla pickup truck to come with Autopilot and possibly even full self-driving as well. This will offer ease of use for towing and backing up with a trailer. Tesla could possibly add tow features to their Enhanced Summon allowing for an automated process. This could drastically decrease the amount of accidents cause by backing up trailers.
Using the power from the electric trucks batteries you will be able to power just about anything up to 240V. Not only is this a neat feature for those in the workforce, it will also help you out with camping or even tailgating. Your electric truck will completely erase the need for carrying around a generator. The Workhorse W-15 already provides this feature for commercial use as they typically only sell vehicles for fleet purposes.
Pickup truck will have power outlets allowing use of heavy duty 240V, high power tools in field all day. No generator needed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2018
No Tesla truck 0-60 times have been posted thus far but in typical Tesla fashion, we expect them to be ludicrous… or maybe even plaid.
Design
We know that the new Tesla truck will be slightly larger than a Ford F150 as Elon Musk wants to add what he claims to be a “game changing feature”. We don’t know much more than that apart from the fact that it will have a futuristic cyberpunk vibe and lots of titanium.
“Well I can’t talk about the details, but it’s gonna be like a really futuristic like cyberpunk, “Blade Runner” pickup truck. It’s gonna be awesome, it’s gonna be amazing. This will be heart-stopping. It stops my heart. It’s like, oh, it’s great. You know, I actually don’t know if a lot of people will buy this pickup truck or not, but I don’t care. I mean I do care, eventually, you know. Like sure, I care. We wanna get gasoline, diesel pickup trucks off the road. But if I find, like, you know, I’m personally super-excited by this pickup truck. It’s something I’ve been wanting to make for a long time. And I’ve been iterating sort of designs with Franz … It’s like I really wanted something that’s like super-futuristic cyberpunk. Which, if it doesn’t … if I’m weirdly like … if there’s only a small number of people that like that truck, I guess we’ll make a more conventional truck in the future. But it’s the thing that I am personally most fired up about. It’s gonna have a lot of titanium.”
Sir, this will not be some a dainty little buttercup of a truck! Driver’s seat will be big enough to fit André the giant (love that guy).
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 27, 2018
During the Model Y unveiling, the automaker flashed a Tesla truck teaser. That image was pretty cryptic with fans not really knowing what part of the electric truck they were looking at. Weeks later Musk took to twitter to confirm that the teaser image is actually showing the front of the vehicle.
There are not any other new Tesla truck pictures out there so we had to get creative with the little information. Many around the internet decided to start creating mockups and Tesla truck renders using the clues given. Here are some of our favorites taken from Reddit.
[gdgallery_gallery id_gallery=”91″]Price
In an interview on the podcast, Ride the Lightning, Musk has started that the new Tesla truck price will try to stay below $50,000. This puts the Tesla truck cost competitive with all other trucks on the market. Most upcoming electric trucks are set to start well above this price point. We are pretty skeptical if Tesla can achieve this value out the gate.
“We don’t want it to be really expensive. I think it got to start at less than $50,000 – it’s got to be like $49,000 starting price max. Ideally less. It just can’t be unaffordable. It’s got to be something that’s affordable. There will be versions of the truck that will be more expensive, but you’ve got to be able to get a really great truck for $49,000 or less.”
New Tesla Truck Release Date
No official date has been set but Elon has just about confirmed and reinstated this November as the new electric truck unveil. The electric truck is just a few weeks away and I’m personally ready to place my deposit. We don’t expect the electric truck to enter production until at least 2020 but anything can happen and we will be sure to keep up with the Tesla truck news.
