Tesla is about to reveal its first electric big-rig - here's what to look for

Tesla

• Tesla's big rig will likely redefine the large tractor-trailer for the future.
• Expect a futuristic prototype, complete with a spaceship-like cab and a huge battery.
• Ironically, the freight business might be a better fit for Tesla's technologies that the mass-market for passengers cars.

Tesla will reveal its big-rig semi-trailer in Los Angeles next week, and I'll be at SpaceX headquarters to check it out.

The Tesla semi was anything but a 10-4-good-buddy move for Tesla. While many observers expected a pickup truck to join the carmaker's lineup of all-electric cars, the big rig was a surprise.

A logical one, however, as many sustainable mobility experts have for years argued that the best application for electric vehicles isn't personal transportation but rather freight. We move stuff around on the world's highways using largely Class-8 diesel rigs. Subtract those emissions and the fight against global warming, which Tesla CEO Elon Musk takes very seriously, is a large step closer to winning.

Big rigs are already cool - there's a reason why little kids always want drivers to blow their trucks' massive air horns when they pass them on the freeway. Tesla's interpretation of a machine defined by the Macks and Peterbilts should be plenty interesting.

Here's what we expect to see next week:

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