The Tesla Semi’s launch could be a real milestone in the electrification of road haulage
Three years after it was first announced, in a perfect example of what has become known as “Elon time”, Tesla unveiled its Tesla Semi truck on Thursday, delivering the first units to customers.
What’s so special about the presentation of an electric truck, when other brands such as Daimler, Volvo, Peterbilt, BYD and Nikola already have vehicles in that range? Basically, Tesla has the “showcase effect” that, without necessarily being the first in a category, can redefine it. The Tesla Roadster, the company’s first minimum viable product built on the chassis of a Lotus Elise, or the Model S, its first wholly owned creation as such, were by no means the first electric vehicles on the market, but they were the first to demonstrate that having an electric vehicle was not only viable for a mainstream public, but could save money.
Transportation is a serious business: road haulage companies and independent drivers do not take risks. These are vehicles that are thoroughly tested, their performance studied, and all…
