Elon Musk Reveals Details About Tesla’s Pickup Truck, And Here’s What We Know
He promises it will have “crazy torque.”
Everyone’s favorite eccentric billionaire inventor, Elon Musk, took to Twitter to solicit ideas for the pickup truck he plans for Tesla to build. Just as soon as it sorts out assembly of the Model 3, develops the Model Y, develops the new Roadster and puts a fleet of electric semi-trucks on the road.
What would you love to see in a Tesla pickup truck? I have a few things in mind, but what do you think are small, but important nuances & what would be seriously next level?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 26, 2018
Then he has promised to introduce a monster electric pickup truck that is so massive it could hold a Ford F-150 pickup in its bed. As this figment of Musk’s fevered imagination doesn’t exist and isn’t likely to anytime soon, he commissioned an artist’s conception of what it would look like while humiliating America’s best-selling vehicle.
Musk started by announcing the “Tesla Truck will have dual motor all-wheel drive w crazy torque & a suspension that dynamically adjusts for load. Those will be standard.”
He added that it will be able to power electric power tools at job sites, saying “Pickup truck will have power outlets allowing use of heavy duty 240V, high power tools in field all day. No generator needed.”
Then the Twitter forum turned into an opportunity for Musk to outline the planned truck’s features, as he responded to suggestions.
In response to a question about safely parking such a massive vehicle, Musk responded, “It will parallel park automatically & have 360 degree cameras & sonar”
And because tall trucks suffer more aerodynamic drag, a fan requested “Adjustable suspension height as an option, that way you can run lower on paved roads for better aerodynamics & handling while raising it several inches when you need to go off road.”
Musk confirmed it will be so, saying, “That will be standard.”
The tailgate will swing down low from the Tesla Truck’s very high bed to make it easier to load, he added, with an edit-less Twitter typo for tailgate. “Seems like trear gate should rotate on a four bar linkage & drop down to the ground or close. Kinda like some big trucks have.”
Naturally, a truck on such a scale will be roomy, he told a fan who identified himself as 6’9″. “Sir, this will not be some a dainty little buttercup of a truck! Driver’s seat will be big enough to fit André the giant (love that guy).”
A side ramp on the bed like the one on the 1961 Corvair Rampside was another request that the Tesla truck’s unconventional drivetrain (like the Corvair’s) could permit.
And pickups, especially diesels, tend to have a long driving range, so the Tesla Truck will also provide enough energy storage for long drives. “400 to 500 mile option definitely. Higher, maybe,” tweeted Musk.
Some newcomers to the pickup truck market have pursued unorthodox styling (*cough* Honda Ridgeline), and fans called for the Tesla Truck to follow classic upright truck styling, citing the 1966-’77 Ford Bronco as an example. “Bronco rocks,” he answered, suggesting he appreciates the need for classically burly looks.
One sensible suggestion was that Tesla should employ common-size wheel bolt pattern so that the existing aftermarket of custom wheels would be instantly available to personalization-loving truck buyers. This seems logical, but Musk isn’t known for playing well with others, so we’ll have to wait and see.
He didn’t respond to this suggestion.
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