The long-awaited reveal of Tesla’s pickup truck will most likely take place November, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in response to a Twitter follower’s question.
Tesla’s first crack at one of America’s most popular body styles, which will begin production after the Model Y, has been the topic of much speculation from Tesla and electric vehicle fans collectively. Information regarding the truck is vague, but Elon Musk has released a number of details, most notably a possible 300,000-lb towing capacity.
The truck is also rumored to have a starting price of $49,000, pack 400 to 500 miles of battery electric range, and have a driver’s seat that will fit Andre the Giant, according to Elon Musk.
While Tesla has released a teaser image of the truck, there is no official rendering for what the truck will look like. Elon Musk has described it has “cyberpunk” and said that it will be “pretty sci-fi…It’s kind of like a blade-runner truck”.
Tesla will be joining Amazon CEO-backed Rivian and Ford to compete in one of the auto industry’s top-selling markets in the United States. In 2018, the top 3 selling vehicles included Ford’s F-Series, the Chevrolet Silverado, and the Dodge Ram.
Tesla Pickup Truck’s unveiling event aimed at November, hints Elon Musk
A few days before the Porsche Taycan official unveiling event, the German auto maker debuted a video demonstrating some impressive speed capabilities of the new all-electric sports car on a very special “track” for the occasion. The American aircraft carrier USS Hornet played host to a 0-90-0 mph acceleration and braking test, which clocked 10.7 seconds for the total Taycan run (although the video description says 10.17 seconds). As to be expected from the Tesla owner community, this feat was then challenged in a similar run using a Model 3 Performance, albeit with less impressive scenery.
The Model 3 Performance test run was undertaken and published by Tesla owner and enthusiast Erik from YouTube channel DÆrik, and the results were impressive despite coming in a bit slower than the Taycan test. For the 0-90 mph portion, the Model 3 clocked in at 6.87 seconds; however, braking didn’t begin until the car reached 96.9 mph at 7.90 seconds. From 90 mph to 0 mph, 4.01 seconds elapsed. The total run took 12.4 seconds, although the numbers aren’t ideal given the delay in braking. Removing the extra time from 90-96.9 mph, while acknowledging it’s an imperfect method for time testing, brings the Tesla’s total time for the 0-90-0 run to 10.88 seconds. A few more runs would have been useful for comparison’s sake, but these results alone – a $56,000 midsize sedan vs. a $150,000 sports car – bode very well for the Model 3 overall.
Model 3 Performance 0-90-0 mph test stats. (Image: DÆrik/YouTube)
Aside from the lack of an aircraft carrier (and perhaps its surface), there was at least one notable difference between the two tests. Specifically, the Model 3 was a production version of the vehicle with minimal modifications such as ceramic brakes. The Taycan used on the USS Hornet was a prototype of the vehicle, and thus it’s unclear what differences were present compared to any of the other three variants of Porsche’s new electric sports car.
The Porsche Taycan was only recently unveiled, but comparisons between the brand’s entrance into the world of all-electric vehicles (EVs) and the existing Tesla production vehicles are already plentiful and ubiquitous. Thanks to Tesla’s dominance in battery range and impressive performance stats for every model offered, the Taycan’s hefty price tag seems to be one of the biggest factors driving negative reviews. After all, every Model 3 variant is in a much more affordable price range than any of the Taycan variants. As the positive reviews indicate, though, Porsche’s goals for their vehicles have always and will always be miles away from Tesla’s mission. Tesla aims to make electric cars accessible worldwide to nearly every type of consumer while Porsche is, well, Porsche.
Not one to back down from a challenge, CEO Elon Musk has recently indicated that Tesla will be taking on the Taycan soon in a more official capacity. A newly released video of the Taycan’s run at the Nürburgring track in Western Germany showed the performance EV achieving a record-setting 7 minutes, 42 seconds lap time, and now the Model S will challenge those numbers. “Model S on Nürburgring next week,” Musk teased on Twitter. A 2014 test by an independent Model S driver on the same track was hindered by power limitations and overheating; Tesla has since updated the power management software. Perhaps the record will be straightened out next week with both Musk’s and Tesla’s stamp of approval of the results.
Watch Erik Strait’s full 0-90-0 mph run in his Model 3 Performance below:
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Tesla Model 3 Performance tries out Porsche’s 0-90-0 mph aircraft carrier challenge
A recently published patent application from Tesla has revealed that the electric car maker is designing a stealthy, unconventional windshield wiper system that seems particularly tailor-fit for the company’s upcoming halo car: the next-generation Roadster. Apart from looking the part of a futuristic wiper assembly for a futuristic vehicle, Tesla’s patent also allows optimizations in range.
As background, Tesla noted that conventional wiper systems usually utilize electric motors that move one or more wiper blades to clean the windshield of a vehicle. The assembly of such systems involves several mechanical components such as gears and bearings, which, in turn, enable the wiper blades to slide across the windshield.
This sliding motion of the mechanical components creates significant friction during operation. This results in the need for additional power to be supplied by a car’s in-vehicle battery, thereby reducing an electric vehicle’s range. Traditional wiper systems are usually prone to rust and wear as well, which could bog down a wiper assembly and make it inefficient in cleaning a windshield. This could be an issue in regions that experience a lot of rain or snow.
Tesla’s electromagnetic windshield wiper system. (Credit: US Patent Office)
With this in mind, Tesla argues that there is a need to design an innovative windshield wiper system that cleans better, and lasts longer. Such a system was outlined in a recently published patent, plainly titled “Electromagnetic Windshield Wiper System.”Tesla’s design for its electromagnetic windshield wiper system involves the use of a “linear actuator that may include a guide rail and an electromagnetic moving block.” The design is modular, enabling easy installation. The wiper arm and blade could be attached to each other as well, forming a “linear mono wiper in an uncluttered design.” Tesla describes how its windshield wiper assembly works as follows.
“The disclosed electromagnetic wiper system may include a linear actuator that may include a guide rail and an electromagnetic moving block. The guide rail may include a plurality of permanent magnet bars that may be disposed horizontally along a curvature of the windshield of the vehicle. The electromagnetic moving block may act as an electromagnetic train, and may include a plurality of perforations and at least an electromagnetic coil that surrounds the plurality of perforations in the electromagnetic moving block.
“The linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block through the plurality of permanent magnet bars may be controlled to steer the wiper arm that may be coupled to the electromagnetic moving block, back and forth across the entire length of the windshield to wipe a defined region, for example, the entire transparent area (i.e., near cent percent area) of the windshield. This may result in minimal friction during the linear motion of the electromagnetic moving block.”
Tesla’s stealthy windshield assembly described in its recent patent is definitely an improvement over the conventional wiper assembly found in this new Roadster model shown off during the Semi’s unveiling. (Credit: Bjorn Nyland/YouTube)
What is pretty interesting about Tesla’s electromagnetic windshield wiper patent is that the entire mono wiper assembly stows away beneath the hood of a vehicle when not in use. This, apart from giving an electric car windshield a clean, uncluttered look, improves a car’s aerodynamic performance during operations. Tesla notes that these optimizations will be particularly significant at high speeds.
Tesla did not state which of its present or upcoming vehicles will be using the electromagnetic windshield wiper system outlined in the recently published patent. That being said, a look at the benefits of Tesla’s design suggests that the innovative wiper system will be a perfect fit for the next-generation Roadster.
The Roadster’s static models sported a conventional wiper system, after all, and they look almost out of place in such a futuristic vehicle. Considering that the new Roadster is Tesla’s halo car, it makes perfect sense for the company to go all out in its optimizations, windshield wipers included. Couple that with the Roadster’s emphasis on aerodynamics and high-speed driving and this patent makes even more sense for the all-electric supercar.
Tesla’s full discussion on its electromagnetic windshield wiper system could be accessed here.
Tesla’s patent for a stealthy, electromagnetic wiper is perfect for the new Roadster
