Tesla is about to unveil an electric truck this coming Thursday and, as ever, CEO Elon Musk is keen to keep expectations at a reasonable level.
Just kidding. On Sunday, he trailed the launch with a tweet promising the vehicle would “blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension.”
In case anyone hasn’t been paying attention, Musk is a master of hype, promising giant vacuum tubes and “big ****ing rockets” that can whizz people across great distances within minutes. He claims it’s possible to start colonizing Mars five years from now.
That said, his SpaceX company is making great progress with its reusable rockets. And then there’s Tesla (TSLA), which is putting semi-autonomous cars into the hands of increasing numbers of people—but which is also having big-time production problems with its latest car, the Model 3 sedan.
And now Tesla is going to produce a big rig.
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
Reports back in August suggested that Tesla would show off its electric semi the following month. That clearly didn’t happen, thanks to the Model 3 issues, which have reportedly had a serious effect on Tesla’s cash flow. The reports also indicated that Tesla’s truck would be able to go about 200-300 miles between charges, which would make it useful for regional shipments.
Meanwhile, Daimler, which already has smaller electric trucks on the road—and which used to be a Tesla investor—beat Tesla to the punch by unveiling its own E-Fuso Vision One electric big rig prototype last month. Again, Daimler’s effort has a range of around 220 miles.
But will the Vision One blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension? Judging by the eye-melting paint job Daimler put on the prototype, it’s a possibility. Your move, Elon.