In ‘hard core smackdown to gasoline cars’, Musk reveals Roadster sports car at Tesla Semi launch
Production of Semi truck to start in 2019, Roadster to be available a year later
Elon Musk pulled off a Steve Jobsian “one more thing” surprise at the unveiling of Tesla’s Semi truck model, rolling the new Roadster sports car out of the back of a big rig on stage.
The Semi truck, which goes into production in 2019, will boast 500 miles of range, a battery and motors that will last 1 million miles and cheaper total operating costs than diesel models, Tesla’s chief executive said. The Roadster, available a year later, will be the fastest production car ever made, he said.
“The point of doing this is to just give a hard core smackdown to gasoline cars,” Musk told the crowd gathered at Tesla’s design studio near Los Angeles, touting the Roadster’s 1.9-second 0-60 miles per hour time and 620 miles of range.
“Driving a gasoline sports car is going to feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.”
It was crucial for Musk to wow watchers of the Semi event. Tesla has stumbled out of the gate with the Model 3 sedan, the first car it is trying to mass produce and sell to more mainstream consumers. With battery bottlenecks undercutting output, the chief executive and master pitchman was seeking to regenerate hype about future products capable of hauling in more revenue.
“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,” Musk tweeted earlier.
“Elon’s showmanship remains intact, even as his customers’ patience for Model 3 delivery wanes,” said Karl Brauer, the executive publisher of Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. “The specs on the new semi truck and sports car would put both vehicles at the top of their segments, assuming they can be produced and sold as part of a sustainable business plan. So far that final element has eluded Tesla.”