Tesla boss: Electric semi debut set for September

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Updated Apr 18, 2017
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Tesla announced last July in a blog post the company’s intentions to develop an electric semi truck. Thursday, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk announced via Twitter that he expects to debut the truck late this summer, calling the technology “seriously next level.”

The “Tesla Semi,” as Musk called it in both the blog and tweet, is being designed to reduce the cost of cargo transport, “while increasing safety and making it really fun to operate,” he wrote in the blog.

Tesla isn’t the only company scrambling to produce an electric drive truck. Late last year, Nikola Motor Company showcased its hydrogen fuel cell-powered Nikola One Tractor.

Also via his Twitter account Thursday, Musk says he expects to unveil a Tesla pickup in 18 to 24 months.

Jason Cannon has written about trucking and transportation for more than a decade and serves as Chief Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. A Class A CDL holder, Jason is a graduate of the Porsche Sport Driving School, an honorary Duckmaster at The Peabody in Memphis, Tennessee, and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Reach him at [email protected]