Today’s Pickup: Tesla to unveil electric semi Oct 26

Good day,

And now we know. We think.

Elon Musk has been teasing the world for nearly a year about his Tesla electric semi. Information has been coming out mostly via cryptic messages and tweets from Musk himself, but no definitive announcement. But Wednesday, Musk tweeted that the semi will be unveiled on Oct. 26 in Hawthorne, CA.

“Tesla Semi truck unveil & test ride tentatively scheduled for Oct 26th in Hawthorne. Worth seeing this beast in person. It’s unreal,” he tweeted.

What exactly the Tesla semi looks like and operates has been under closely guarded wraps. Speculation is that the vehicle will have an electric range of 200 to 300 miles, although there has also been some thought that it may offer some kind of battery swapping program, which would extend its range even further.

Did you know?

When transporting cattle, sheep and goats, the journey should be planned, paying attention to the distance to be traveled, opportunities for grazing, watering and overnight rest. Animals should be walked during the cooler times of the day and, if moving some distance to a railhead, they should arrive with sufficient time to be rested and watered before loading. 

Quotable:

“As the leading national last-mile network specializing in heavy goods, we’re uniquely positioned to provide a consistent consumer experience that protects retail brands. Now we’re making it even faster and more cost effective to transport goods direct to homes.”

– Troy Cooper, COO of XPO Logistics, on increasing last-mile service hubs

In other news:

XPO expanding last-mile hubs

XPO Logistics has said it will increase its last-mile service hubs to 85 by the end of 2018, bringing its footprint within 90% of the U.S. population. (Heavy Duty Trucking)

North Carolina looking to build more truck stops

To ease a truck parking space crunch, North Carolina is looking at building new truck stops in the state and deploying sensors to monitor locations. (Transport Topics)

T-Mobile to offer low-cost ELD

T-Mobile has partnered with Geotab to introduce a low-cost fleet telematics product that includes vehicle operation data and hours-of-service compliance reporting for $3 per month. (Automotive Fleet)

Conducting roadside inspections with digital tools

Electronic roadside inspections are coming and carriers need to know what they involve and how they will work. (Fleet Owner)

Truck makers, parts suppliers turn to startups

Several truck makers and parts suppliers are teaming up with startup companies in an effort to maintain an edge in the marketplace. (Trucks.com)

Final Thoughts

Now that we finally know a date for the unveiling of the Tesla semi (it’s tentatively set for Oct. 26), one of the great unknowns of the industry may finally be revealed. Is the Tesla semi a ground-breaking vehicle, or just another electric truck entry? We may finally know.   

Hammer down everyone!