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Elon Musk was on stage at the 2017 TED Conference in Vancouver on Friday, and he revealed some of his tunnel work and aspirations, but he also talked about a few ongoing Tesla projects he’s referenced before. The multi-CEO showed a shadowy image that gives us our first look at what his forthcoming electric Semi Truck will look like, and also let drop the suggestion that Tesla will likely announce four new global Gigafactory locations sometime this year.
The truck looks exactly like you’d expect a transport truck to look, roughly, but with a smooth continuous design between the windshield and the upper facade. There’s also headlights that resemble the ones used on existing Tesla cars, including the Model X and Model S, so it’s reasonable to expect some design continuity between Tesla’s consumer and commercial vehicles.
The truck gets more from Tesla’s existing lineup than just its looks – the CEO said on stage that it’ll be a “spry” vehicle, which can be driven like a sports car. Musk said he himself has already taken the prototype for a ride.
We’ll still have to wait until September to see the truck in its full glory, but Musk said it should be able to not only hold its own with, but also outperform current diesel-powered big rigs.
Meanwhile, Musk also said that there will be likely four new Gigafactory sites announced this year. This is also something Tesla has touched on before; the company said in its most recent earnings report that it plans to finalize locations for up to three new Gigafactory sites this year, in addition to the existing Nevada location, and the New York plant for solar technology it’s operating in partnership with Panasonic.
Electrek recently reported that Musk’s meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang could’ve included discussions around a possible Gigafactory site, which follows a recent significant investment by giant Chinese Internet firm Tencent.
