mmarshall

This article does not either confirm or deny any actual Tesla announcements about an upcoming all-electric truck, but has some interesting information and speculation on what that upcoming vehicle may be like. I thought I'd post it for those who might be interested.

http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-picku...-duty-segment/
Following the announcement that Tesla had its sights set on entering the utility truck market with its own version of a pickup truck comes new speculative design features for what a battery-powered and engine-less truck may bring to this new segment.

The folks from Truck Trend have put together in our opinion one of the best renditions of what a Tesla pickup truck may look like. Body lines: sleek. Feature sets: aplenty. Utility: you bet.

In true Tesla fashion, the company’s upcoming foray into the heavy-duty truck market will likely arrive with a compelling list of key differentiators from rival, and arguably traditional, give me a big V8 up front – the bigger the better, truck manufacturers. This won’t be your “good ol’ boys” truck. Rather, the Tesla brand has fashioned itself as being one that carries prestige and a cool factor that people, and the “mass market”, want to be associated with. In other words, Tesla is cool and you can bet your bottom dollar that having a pedigree in NASCAR and dirt bikes won’t be a prerequisite for owning a Tesla pickup truck.

Here’s a list of innovative features for Tesla’s “Model U” (for utility) as envisioned by Truck Trend.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE “FRUNK”

Tesla owners love their storage space especially the one up front. No engine equals more space to stow groceries, strollers, and – well – stuff. Popping open the frunk won’t be anything short of an Apple unboxing event.

A beautiful and innovative wet/dry storage caddy with drain plug blends seamlessly into a modern looking “engine bay” except there’s no engine. This is what modern day utility will look like. Tesla logo: check. Multiple USB ports and a 120V outlet: double check.



There will be room for extending the use of the frunk through Tesla’s own drop-in accessories that will – you guessed it – be conveniently made available through the company’s online store. Referral program 10.0 will award Tesla pickup truck owners with portable batteries, refrigeration cabinets and organization caddies.

WHAT ABOUT THE “FLATBED”?

Rest assured Tesla’s pickup won’t have any ordinary bed. With the ability to electronically adjust ride-height similar to what’s currently available on the Model S and Model X, Tesla’s truck can lower itself to a position that enables roll-on equipment. An extension in the rear lift gate will create a makeshift ramp allowing bulky items and powersports vehicles to be rolled into the bed.

Truck Trend envisions the Model U to come equipped with a built-in air compressor inside the bed that can be used for running air tools, blowing off dusty bikes or ATVs, or filling up tires.

Source: Truck Trend via Kris Horton

POWER AND RANGE

Having four-wheel drive through Tesla’s dual-motor unit is almost a given. Standard, not optional. Power will be abundant. After all, being able to meet Class 3 or even Class 4 towing standards means the electric truck will be capable of hauling up to 14,000 lbs (6350 kg.). That means a big battery pack.



By the time a Tesla pickup truck hits market and the Gigafactory is in full stride, battery pack capacity will likely be upwards of 120 kWh and as high as 160 kWh per pack. The ability to have an add-on battery to further extend power and range isn’t out of the question as we outlined as one possible solution for tackling the Tesla ‘Semi’ conundrum.

A 200 kWh or even 300 kWh pack? Don’t laugh. It isn’t that far-fetched.

WHAT ELSE?

Tesla’s Master Plan – the sequel – envisions a world of sustainable energy generation and accompanying battery-enabled storage solutions. The inevitable Tesla-SolarCity merger will see to it that this isn’t just a vision but a plan the company intends to execute on.

So what does this mean for its upcoming pickup truck? Imagine a battery pack add-on that can double as an extended range unit, but also serve as a home or even small-business power solution. A robot-like device akin to Tesla’s “snakebot” would detach the additional battery pack and slide it from the truck’s bed floor rail system. The battery would then be mounted onto the wall of a garage where it would be charged by a Tesla Energy solar system.



The possibilities are seemingly endless for a Tesla pickup truck. Ideas that may otherwise sound grandiose in nature won’t stop the runaway freight train – that is Tesla – from uprooting and transforming the trucking industry as we know it.

Bring it on.

JessePS

If Tesla uses the Model S platform across the board, it would be similar to GM Hy-wire concept, which is great. Also Tesla's closest competitor (which has yet to release anything), Faraday Future is going the same route. All in all, it looks like GM was ahead of the curve, but didn't act.

It would be interesting to see a Tesla P go up against some heavy duty pickups from the big 3.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

It sure is an interesting thought. What would the cost of an average Tesla pickup truck be? $80-90K? Probably out of range for most pickup truck buyers. Even despite the electric niche it would be hard to make a dent in domestic truck sales.

Aron9000

It would be a niche vehicle like the model S. Its going to be one heavy SOB though, if its actually going to be able to do work. I'd imagine towing an 8000lb trailer will eat through the battery pretty quick, so that's more weight for a lot more batteries. A regular model S is 4600lbs, so I'd imagine this thing being heavier than an F150 but about the size of a Tacoma(or maybe smaller)

mmarshall

I agree it couldn't compete with established American-branded pickups in sheer sales-numbers, but Tesla could probably get the price down a little lower than that...I don't necessarily see it as selling for 80 or 90K. And, you'll pay some good money for top-level versions of today conventional gas or diesel-powered truck. Loaded versions of Ford's F-150 King Ranch/Platinum/Limited can run 60-70K, or even more in some cases.

Right now, though, one of the the biggest questions with Tesla (and the article doesn't go into this much) is if the company will survive in the long run at all. Elon Musk has got a very inefficient system on his hands right now. Tesla's system of company-owned dealer-sales and service-facilities puts (proportionately) a much greater economic load on them that is the case with most other manufacturers. With most of the other manufacturers, those dealer-associated costs are borne by private franchises. But with Tesla, they have to pay all the bills themselves. Bob Lutz recently stated (and I agree with him) that, while he personally respects and thinks a lot of Elon Musk, he doesn't see how Tesla can survive much longer in its present form.

(And, that, of course, will make the price of the truck very sensitive. Set it too low for the amount of equipment being offered on it, and no profit will be made. Set it too high, and there won't be any sales).

geko29

Disagree. The amount of money the big manufacturers pour into their dealer network is staggering. From rebates and incentives to financing and warranty reimbursement, and everything in between. The only notable cost the dealerships bear are the inventory carrying cost and the monthly utilities. Tesla does not maintain a 130-day supply at each of several hundred/thousand dealerships, so this last isn't a big deal for them anyway. Their gross profit margin is also larger, both due to the high average transaction price (and general lack of discounting due to demand), along with the fact that Tesla extracts the entire spread between the cost of building the thing and the final sale price of the consumer. With a dealership network, they split this profit with the retailer--they only take the gap between the build cost and what the dealership pays for it. The spread between that price and what the customer pays is retained by the dealer. That difference covers a LOT of overhead costs.

mmarshall

Though I agreed with some of it, it was actually Bob Lutz's opinion more than mine...and he is considered one of the sharpest guys in the auto business. And, while what you say is true that incentives and warranty costs fall primarily on the manufacturers, most of a typical non-Tesla dealership's overhead cannot be recovered. The manufacturer, in most cases, is not going to pay for utilities, employee/managenent salaries/commissions, property taxes, new equipment, supplies, storage fees, upkeep to the dealership's buildings, or any of the other maze of expenses it takes to run a modern dealership.

situman

Is it wise to be spreading your resources so thinly when you have a solarcity merger, a gigafactory that isnt fully operational yet, a Model 3 that isnt even in production yet, have trouble meeting your own delivery guidelines, needs to raise additional fundings through stock offerings next year and now you are adding an extra model. Makes perfect sense to me.