Thursday, November 14, 2013

Tesla Truck Design Aiming For The Ford F-150

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Elon Musk is nothing if not ambitious, and he has raised eyebrows with the mention of an electric Tesla truck before. But now Musk has made it official, stating that a Tesla truck is in the pipeline, and that such a vehicle would be modeled after the most popular vehicle in America, the Ford F-150. The Blue Oval better watch out.
Musk responded to a question as to whether or not Tesla planned to produce a commercial truck or van, and while Tesla doesn’t plan to enter the commercial market, and Tesla pickup is definitely in the early stages of development. Musk says that a Tesla truck could hit the market in as little as five years, and it will take after the Ford F-150.
So what does that mean? It likely means a truck with multiple cab and bed configurations, designed to be both rugged and reliable with ample ground clearance and I would imagine at least 250 miles of range. While Musk isn’t setting out to build a commercial vehicle, he probably will, as such a vehicle (if priced accordingly) could fill a wide variety of delivery and work roles, especially if it has access to a Supercharger system. Elon, in a failed bid to open the Texas market to Tesla vehicles, mentioned that a Tesla pickup factory might be located in the Lone Star State.
With pickup trucks absolutely dominating the American new vehicle market, Elon is attempting to cut himself off a slice of that very lucrative pie. But other automakers, like Toyota and Nissan, have tried and failed to crack into the market in any meaningful way. Is Musk being a bit too ambitious, or is an electric Tesla pickup ready to disrupt America’s truck market next? Also, what the hell would it look like?


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