Tesla CEO Elon Musk is always up to something new and innovative, and his next two projects are, as always, drawing massive curiosity. On Monday, Musk offered details on two upcoming models, saying the company plans to release an electric semi-truck in September and the Model Y crossover in 2019.
Tesla won’t repeat Model X mistakes with Model Y
Though many expected such details from Tesla, what was unexpected was a sneak peek at the Model Y crossover. The company released the first teaser image for the Model Y at its annual shareholder meeting at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA.
Tesla went through a real struggle trying to meet the delivery deadlines for the Model X due to issues with its design, with the major part of the problems being related to the gull-wing doors. So the perfectionist CEO is taking all caution this time to ensure that nothing like that happens with the Model Y’s release.
For the upcoming crossover called the Model Y, the company has chosen a completely new platform. Even the production will take place in a new factory, Musk said. Initially, it was believed that the Model Y would be based on the Model 3 platform.
Further, regretting the decision of basing the high-end Model X SUV on the Model S sedan, Musk said that trying to develop an SUV on a sedan platform didn’t made any sense, notes CNBC. The company has attached huge expectations to the Model Y and hopes it to surpass the popularity and demand for the upcoming Model 3.
Good response to the electric semi
At Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk said they working with their “biggest customers” on the design of the semi so that they are aware of what’s in store for them.
“They all love it,” he said. “They just want to know how many can they buy, and how soon. … We’re getting them closely involved in the design process.”
If “the biggest customers” really love it, it’s very good for Tesla as the all-electric trucking concept didn’t go down well with the intellectuals at Carnegie Mellon University. According to Wired, the researchers raised doubts about its feasibility in a study last week. They based their argument on certain relevant computer models that determined flaws such as an extremely high price, limited cargo capacity and an unsatisfactory range of 300 miles.
It seems like the Carnegie Mellon University experts underestimated Musk’s ambitions of an all-electric future. Musk, who sees the energy crisis as a major problem for the whole world, believes his model for an all-electric future is quite magnificent. Musk believes that Tesla’s offerings, such as electric-powered cars, solar power generation, charging stations and home batteries, are a long-term solution to the global energy crisis.
“One of the key things that happened this year is the beginning of the transition of Tesla to a fully integrated, sustainable energy company. … It’s a fully contained energy solution that could scale for the whole world. You could imagine as far into the future … well beyond human civilization, which I hope lasts a really long time,” the Tesla CEO said.
