Tesla to unveil electric big-rig truck in midst of Model 3 factory ‘hell’

TESLA boss Elon Musk is about to unveil the company’s next major product - and he is promising really big things.

AFTER more than a decade of making cars and SUVs — and, more recently, solar panels — Tesla wants to electrify a new type of vehicle: big trucks.

The company will unveil its new electric semitractor-trailer Friday afternoon (AEST) near its design centre in California.

The move fits with Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s stated goal for the company of accelerating the shift to sustainable transportation. Trucks account for nearly a quarter of transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US, according to government statistics. Tesla also could equip its trucks with the semi-autonomous driving features found in its cars, like automatic braking and lane changing.

But the semi also piles on the chaos at the Palo Alto, California-based company. It’s way behind on production of the Model 3, its new lower-cost sedan. It’s also ramping up production of solar panels after buying Solar City Corp. last year.

Musk has said Tesla is also working on a pick-up truck and a lower-cost SUV and negotiating a new factory in China.

Meanwhile, the company posted a record quarterly loss of $US619 million in its most recent quarter.

Musk, too, is being pulled in many different directions. He leads rocket maker SpaceX and is dabbling in other projects, including high-speed transit, artificial intelligence research and a new company that’s digging tunnels beneath Los Angeles to alleviate traffic congestion.

Nonetheless, the CEO is doing what he does best: promising big things.

Musk has been promoting the event on Twitter this week claiming the truck will “blow your mind clear out of your skull.”

Tesla Semi Truck unveil to be webcast live on Thursday at 8pm! This will blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension. Just need to find my portal gun ...

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 12, 2017

It can transform into a robot, fight aliens and make one hell of a latte pic.twitter.com/8h9vvWu4f5

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 15, 2017

Tesla hasn’t released any details about the semi. Some analysts expect it to get around 320 kilometres per charge and be used for daily tasks like transporting freight from a port to a distribution centre. Musk has said it should take about two years for the semi to go on sale.

Tesla is venturing into an uncertain market. Demand for electric trucks is expected to grow over the next decade as the US, Europe and China all tighten their emissions regulations.

Electric truck sales totalled 4,100 in 2016, but are expected to grow to more than 70,000 in 2026.

But most of that growth is expected to be for smaller, medium-duty haulers like garbage trucks or delivery vans. Those trucks can have a more limited range of 160 kilometres or less, which requires fewer expensive batteries. They can also be charged overnight.

Long-haul semi trucks, on the other hand, would be expected to go greater distances, and that would be challenging. Right now, there’s little charging infrastructure on global highways and charging even a mid-sized truck would likely require a two-hour stop, cutting into companies’ efficiency and profits.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is the ultimate marketer but the company certainly needs a big win to keep the devoted faithful. Picture: Ben Macmahon