Jalopnik’s hilarious mockup of the future Tesla pickupU.S.-based electric car company Tesla has announced that it will make a half-ton pickup to rival the best-selling Ford F-150.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made the announcement during a Q&A at Business Insider’s Ignition event. Musk said the company would likely make the truck within the next five years.
Musk made the announcement in response to a question asking whether Tesla would make a fleet vehicle for companies like FedEx or UPS since commercial fleets are heavily exploring the opportunities hybrid vehicles and alternative fuels offer.
Musk said it would make a pickup instead because the market opportunity for commercial trucks is much smaller. Musk said the aim would be to create a truck like the F-150 due to its popularity.
That Musk pointed to the F-150 specifically for inspiration could just be a tip of the hat to the overwhelming front runner in that market. Or, more importantly, it could mean that Musk takes the segment seriously and wants to produce a truck with a lot of power and towing capability.
For what it’s worth, the Tesla’s Model S sedan has shown that its electric motors are capable of a lot of power. The Model S puts out 416 horsepower and 443 lb.-ft. of torque. And that torque is seen nearly instantaneously off the line, unlike in a fuel-powered vehicle.
And we’d be remiss if we neglected to point out the hilarious and awesomely bad mockup Jalopnik put together of the future truck. It combines the backend of a Chevy Silverado 2500 and the front end of Tesla’s Model X crossover.
