Tesla Pickup Truck Could Disrupt $100 Billion Market
Tesla is continuing its disruptive ways by hyping up the prospect of an electric pickup truck. The company already unveiled the Tesla Semi which suggests that it isn't too far away from launching an electric vehicle that is bound to shake this $100 Billion market.
According to CEO Elon Musk, the pickup will be made "right after" the Model Y crossover arrives between 2019 and 2020. As with most of Musk's promises though, this should be taken with a grain of salt however, it does give investors an idea of what the electric automaker is gunning for.
The pickup truck market is a big one with the Ford F series of pickup trucks being the biggest selling vehicle of any kind in the world. With most car companies being focused on electrifying sedans, Tesla's pioneering status could be a massive advantage to the company.
There is currently not a single vehicle with a battery large enough to supply a 200-mile drive range, let alone with a boat or trailer towed behind it. Pickup trucks are not cars, they can go place the average car wouldn't even dream of, and that means places where there is likely zero charging stations.
The announcement of the Tesla Semi changed all this by revealing that the hauler, along with the Tesla Roadster, may use the new 200kWh battery pack. Given that pickups use more energy than ordinary cars, it should be safe to say that the vehicle would require at least four times the battery's capacity mainly due to the fact that it needs to get to where it's going and back probably on a single charge.
Of course, there are still a lot of promises Tesla needs to address before it can even begin discussing the idea of a Tesla pickup truck. Fortunately, Musk has given himself some wiggle room by promising the vehicle's unveiling a little over a year from now.