As dramatic as the surprise unveiling of a second-generation Tesla Roadster was last week, the world does not need yet another electric supercar. What it does need is an alternative for the two-thirds of freight activity that is carried out by pollution- and carbon-dioxide?belching diesel trucks. Which is why the Tesla Semi is potentially far more important.
According to the International Energy Authority, trucks burn about half of the diesel consumed worldwide every year and have accounted for about 80 percent of the increase in diesel demand since 2000. If that trend continues, diesel trucks alone will be responsible for nearly 10 percent of all energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions by 2050.
If Elon Musk has his way, the Tesla Semi will change all that. Not only will the world?s first battery-electric Class 8 truck have a range of up to 500 miles, it will benefit from a network of solar-powered Megachargers that allow it to run (eventually) on pure sunlight.
But as so often with Tesla products, many questions remain. Musk shared only selected technical and commercial details about the Semi, and Tesla continues to face severe financial, logistical, and manufacturing challenges as it struggles to bring its Model 3 to market. As impressive as the Semi prototype’s launch was last week, the cutthroat world of commercial trucking will need hard facts and harder numbers before fully embracing Musk?s ray of sunshine.
Musk introduced the Semi as he does most Tesla vehicl...