Tesla Truck 'Quite Likely,' Says Elon Musk (bgr.com)

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Boy Genius Report: If you think Tesla's plan for world domination begins with the Model S and ends with the Model 3, you're sorely mistaken. While the Model 3 is of course the mass consumer vehicle Elon Musk is betting the company on, the Tesla CEO is certainly open to developing other types of vehicles in the future. During a recent interview in Hong Kong at the StartmeupHK Festival, Musk briefly touched on the potential for Tesla to build an electric truck. "I think it is quite likely we will do a truck in the future," Musk said. "I think it's sort of a logical thing for us to do in the future." While this might appear to be outside of Tesla's wheelhouse at first glance – the Model S is a luxury sedan, after all – the amount of money to be made in trucks is immense. To wit, the three best-selling vehicles in the U.S. in both 2014 and 2015 were all pickup trucks.

Comments

What Type of Truck?

[kaiser423]

Will it be a truck like the Model X is an SUV (aka, not really one -- can't beat it up offroad like you can a 4Runner, Highlander, etc)? If it's a real truck that can go offroad, then that would be great. But that's a big step versus where they are now with the X...

Re:What Type of Truck?

[kheldan]

I had to read a little more carefully (I had the same question) but it does actually say 'pickup truck'.

I'm all for it; I like driving small pickups. What I've wondered all along is why someone hasn't done this already? Seems like a no-brainer to me. You could build the battery packs right under the bed, no problem.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Firethorn]

My answer to that is that offroading is a minority thing for both SUVs and Trucks. Many drive trucks for the towing or cargo capacity, not for off-roading.

On the truck side, if you put a Model-S engine system in, you have plenty of power. One or two of their 'skateboard' power packs. Maybe even make it a hybrid - put a engine-generator in it to help keep the battery topped off.

That could be one hell of a towing truck.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[GameboyRMH]

Will it be a truck like the Model X is an SUV (aka, not really one -- can't beat it up offroad like you can a 4Runner, Highlander, etc)?

Most SUVs, especially more modern ones, are not very offroad-capable, worst of all crossovers which are just tall station wagons (or in some cases, more like tall hatchbacks). Trucks like the 4Runner and Highlander that come with a taste of offroad capability are the exception, not the rule.

Most gigantic American pickups have a hilariously bad breakover angle as well.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Talderas]

I know of a company with a large fleet of pickup trucks that had placed an order for GMC trucks, four digit quantity, which GMC said the volume was too high for them to fill, by about 700 trucks. That company then went and bought the other 700 from Ford and that was a single year's order. That's the market and the reason why pickup trucks are the best selling vehicles. It's not individuals that are purchasing, it's companies with significant fleets and that's because there's this huge aftermarket for pickup trucks that involve modifying the truck, typically by removing the standard bed body and placing a different body with the cab and chassis and the trucks from each of the manufacturers are just different enough that those bodies are not universal to the truck.

You're probably right that the pickup truck is probably not what he's talking about. Tesla could trivially break into the consumer market for it but there's the huge support network build around Ford, GMC, Toyota, Chrysler, etc that Tesla simply doesn't have when it comes to aftermarket unless they engineer their vehicles to have the same fittings as, for example, a F150 and consequently can utilize Knapheid service bodies for the F150. When you get into larger trucks, where International is the big player, you'll find that the bodies are more custom in their approach, since International typically only builds a cab and chassis, so that's a bit easier for Tesla to break into.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Firethorn]

It's because of the up-front costs, the savings are actually fairly minor.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Mr D from 63]

You can't think of any reasons? Here are a few;

Because renting is expensive. Because renting is very inconvenient, particularly if you have no rental places nearby (as I do). Because rental places don't always have the car you need when you need it. Because sometimes I need to leave on short notice. Because I like to drive my own vehicle, which I am comfortable with, I know how it handles, I bought it because I want to drive it. Because I already have all my stuff in my vehicle and I don't want to move transfer it twice just to go on a trip. Because my vehicle is sitting in my driveway and i can load it up at my convenience, I can start a day before my trip if necessary and I can leave stuff in it upon my return. Because I'd have to sign a contract and be responsible for a vehicle that is not mine. Because if I scrape a fender I have a complete bureaucratic and expensive mess on my hands rather than being able to handle it all myself.

Now, any, many, or few might apply to any given person. I really don't care if they do or don't.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Firethorn]

Most however seem to drive them because the thing that at some point in time in the future they may need to tow or haul something even though they have never hauled or towed anything ever.

Going by my family, our aging population might be part of the issue. Modern cars are generally built very low to the ground for various reasons. They may be good for normal people. But my grandfather has spinal damage - he can't get into or out of standard modern cars. He HAS to have a van, truck, or SUV that he climbs into, not moving down into. Mom has developed arthritis like symptoms(the medical explanation went over my head), and she can no longer climb out of a car seat - I even have to help here climb out of a movie theater seat. Without assistance she'd essentially have to fall out of the vehicle and then get up. Or drive a SUV where she sits higher. I'm not sure about dad, it might simply be with him that when he bought the truck it was as a second vehicle where the bed was useful, and our family's tendencies to drive a vehicle until it doesn't work anymore(even if we buy new), so he's not trading out of it anytime soon. Of course, an S-10 isn't exactly a penis-replacement truck either.

Take my family experiences, combine with a US population that's getting older, and the 'SUV/Truck' craze might amount to the regulations making such vehicles a little cheaper for their size, combined with that said vehicles, being built higher, are simply easier to get into and out of than modern low-slung cars.

4 wheel drive can be satisfied with Subaru and such.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Anonymous Coward]

He has a caricature of what he thinks a pickup truck owner is. It may be prejudice, but it isn't bad because he is enlightened and intelligent. You know not like the kinds of people who buy pickup trucks...

Re:What Type of Truck?

[netsavior]

Pickup buyers are not going to go electric, it's not in their DNA.

Well, right up until someone points out that if you put a generator in the back of the truck then you can legally run that truck on red diesel even after you run out of battery... that'll change some tunes pretty quick.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Jeremi]

THAT is something I'd definitely be in the market for....why won't they do this again as the 'flagship' car to use to see their other more boring/pedestrian looking cars....?

That would be cool, and IIRC they have talked about bringing back an updated version of the Roadster.

As for why they (probably) won't do that in the near future -- they already have their low-volume "halo" car that proves their credentials, and what they want to do now is sell in high volume so they can benefit more from economies of scale. To do that, they need to sell something that is (relatively) cheap and popular, not another high-priced niche vehicle.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[Jeremi]

Do you know what the specs for a typical trash truck(3mpg) are and the battery you would need to run such a platform? How would you charge 15 or 20 of these monsters at night? (if you are lucky enough for battery to last during the day) The up front costs would be astronomical.

No need to imagine hypotheticals, you could just ask the guys who are doing it.

They seem pretty bullish on the idea and they've put their money where their mouths are, so to speak.

Re:What Type of Truck?

[0100010001010011]

When I put a hitch on my car (e46 BMW) my neighbors thought I was nuts.

It's what they do in Germany. Very few people own trucks. However everyone tows. It's so much easier to hitch up a trailer and get work done than to carry the "trailer" around everywhere.

Makes sense to me.

[Wycliffe]

Just like Tesla's other ideas, a luxury sports car proves that it can be done so other people can copy it. It makes sense that a truck would be the next thing for Tesla to prove feasible. I don't think Tesla really wants to build cars or trucks but rather wants to run a think tank to prove it can be done. I wouldn't be surprised if Tesla open sourced his car plans at some point so other people could manufacture them for him (and he can sell batteries to them, of course)

Re:Makes sense to me.

[jedidiah]

ANY patent is "open source" by definition. That's just how patents work. The extra bit that Tesla added was disclaiming any rights or intentions to demand royalties.

It would be more accurate to say that he "copylefted" them or "liberated" them.

"open source" is a more watered down term by design.

Re:Makes sense to me.

[MindStalker]

Maybe, maybe not. The bed of the truck would make for excellent battery swap potential. The end user can't swap the cars battery. I can see several potential ways to make battery swap much more feasible in a truck, at least for a commercial outfit to equip one.
Also the electric All Wheel Drive dual motor in the current models is far superior traction control to Internal Combustion Engine AWD. Its even possible they might put 4 motors, 1 for each wheel. This would offer vastly superior traction to any truck on the market today.

Model T

[goombah99]

how could they miss that opportunity. Model T

Re:Model T

[chopper749]

Ford already kill the 'Model E' name, which had to be changed to the 'Model 3'
They definitely wouldn't allow a 'Model T'
The next model will surely be the "Model Y'.
Then the lineup would be :S,3,X,Y!

Re:Model T

[Anonymous Coward]

They couldn't a Ford it.

Musk Needs to Focus

[monkeyxpress]

Look, the guy is amazing but he still has to ramp up production on the delayed Model X, get the Model 3 out, get the Falcon 9 landing and taking off again, finish the first giga factory and its extension, probably update the Model S by then, finish the hyper loop test track, get another giga factory started, convert the global energy supply to solar generation and local storage, fly and land the Falcon Heavy, scale Model 3 production up to 10 million cars a year, build a global micro satellite internet system, build another giga factory, send enough supplies to Mars to sustain a human habitat, build a Mars capable spaceship in orbit, and finally get himself to Mars before he becomes to senile to complete the trip.

As my mum always said, finish the project you're doing before you go start another one.

Re:Musk Needs to Focus

[onkelonkel]

"Get some rest. If you haven't got your health, then you haven't got anything."

Re:Musk Needs to Focus

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty sure he's not the sole person working on those projects. I seem to recall teams of thousands of engineers also chipping in with a bit of the work.

Re:Musk Needs to Focus

[bkr1_2k]

And absolutely none of that gets done without a vision of the future. This is just another piece of his vision.

Re:Musk Needs to Focus

[DerekLyons]

As my mum always said, finish the project you're doing before you go start another one.

This isn't about projects - this about Musk keeping Musk in the public eye. On top of being a showman, Musk seems to have a real need to keep people talking about and listening to him.

Re:Musk Needs to Focus

[tsotha]

I don't think this is so much psychological as a reflection of the fact Tesla is about to do another round of financing. They've been able to borrow money pretty cheaply as a result of the hype.

Electric delivery trucks have a great future

[140Mandak262Jamuna]

There are a whole range of vehicles that can switch to electric if the price is not an issue. These are not range limited vehicles.

Most school buses, mail trucks, parcel delivery trucks, can go electric. Most of them stay close to their base station and can be charged over night. Further they are suitable for "swap-the-battery and continue" mode of operations. Deliver fleets could build battery swap stations for their trucks to swap batteries when needed.

Currently these options are not being pursued because the price is too high for the cost savings. As gas prices fall they become even more unviable. But these are the first ones that will be peeled off when the battery price break through comes along.

Re:Power Storage

[U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M]

You need a lot of space to haul that 100-muffin pack from Costco!

Damn, since when do they make their muffin packs smaller?

Not even possible now

[avandesande]

There are good reasons why trucks get less gas mileage than cars- weight, tire patch, aerodynamic drag. These will not change with an electric truck. Right now the Tesla is on the ragged edge with battery cost, range, charge time etc and these issues will be double on a truck.

Re:Electric trucks make a lot of sense

[110010001000]

Oh yeah, I mean like UDS/Fedex/trash trucks. Not "real" trucks like a semi. I doubt there would be much of a use for semi trucks...the range isn't there.

Re:What about a REAL truck?

[ledow]

Ironically, you're going 50 years back.

The UK had all-electric vehicles doing local milk, bread, etc. delivery since at least the 60's. We call them milk floats.

They were generally lead-acid powered but the newer models use Li-Ion and other technologies, and because they generally did morning rounds, they could charge all day and night to get their runs done early the next morning.

Many a child woke up with the motor-whine and bottle-jingle of the milk float coming down the road. They died out around where I live about 10 years ago, with the advent of local supermarkets and online shopping.

Everything goes in circles.

I'd prefer a Tesla Wagon.

[Z00L00K]

I'd prefer a Tesla Wagon over a truck. For family usage a wagon is a lot more useful than a sedan or a truck.

Re:I'd prefer a Tesla Wagon.

[slinches]

That's essentially what the Model X is.

Re:Power Storage

[amiga3D]

Most people buy trucks to have a real vehicle. It's impossible to find a "full" size car. If you want room and comfort a pickup truck is where it's at.

Manual gearbox

[ickleberry]

T'would be nice if they could throw a manual box into this. Only 3, maybe 4 gears needed at the most or maybe just a transfer box with a low range. Combined with an electric motor this would give you a serious amount of torque.