Elon Musk\u00a0unveiled Tesla\u2019s first electric semi-truck on Thursday evening at an event in Los Angeles that also included the surprise reveal of a new Tesla sports car.<\/p>\n
The new Roadster, which has the same name as the\u00a0first electric vehicle\u00a0produced by Tesla from 2008 to 2012, emerged from the back of one of the trucks at the end of a presentation that focused largely on the economic and performance needs of truck drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe point of doing this is just to give a hardcore smackdown to gasoline cars,\u201d Musk said. \u201cDriving a gasoline sports car is going to feel like a steam engine with a side of quiche.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the sports car provided a jolt of excitement for Tesla enthusiasts, much of the event focused on pitching\u00a0the truck\u00a0to truck drivers \u2013 customers with very different concerns than the average Tesla owner.<\/p>\n
In typical Musk style, the CEO had hyped the truck on Twitter throughout the week. On Sunday, he\u00a0promised\u00a0that it \u201cwill blow your mind clear out of your skull and into an alternate dimension\u201d, while on Wednesday he\u00a0teased\u00a0that the truck \u201ccan transform into a robot, fight aliens and make one hell of a latte\u201d.<\/p>\n
There was no espresso machine to be seen, but Musk did promise a laundry list of features that he claimed would ensure the overall cost of ownership will be 20% less per mile compared with diesel trucks. Among them: faster acceleration, better uphill performance, a 500-mile (805km) range at maximum weight at highway speed, and \u201cthermonuclear explosion-proof glass\u201d in the windshield.<\/p>\n
Safety features include enhanced autopilot, lane-keeping technology, and a design that makes jackknifing \u201cimpossible\u201d, Musk said.<\/p>\n