Tesla is already dominating the electrical automobile sector for a battery-powered
electrical car. Time and again, Musk has floated the idea of a Tesla van
more than once, most recently during a February interview in which he said it's possible the
EV will have an array of solar panels on it. Here's Elon Musk FINALLY Reveals New Tesla Van!
Number 6). Master Plan, Part Deux In July 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk published his
“Master Plan, Part Deux,” an opus that laid out his ambitions for Tesla’s next phase of growth.
It’s worth revisiting and likely will be studied by MBA programs for years to come. Tesla is
no longer a tiny startup taking on the legacy automakers in Detroit, Germany and Japan — it
joined the S&P 500 in December and delivered roughly 200,000 cars worldwide in the second
quarter. Musk has always set incredibly ambitious stretch goals and then pushed his teams to meet
them. Being “late” with timelines is par for the course. And five years later, he seems to be doing
well. In these 5 years, Tesla has expanded into energy generation and has grown its energy storage
business. Tesla has also launched new vehicles, in addition to the Model 3. Besides all of this,
Tesla has developed self-driving that is 10-times safer than manual driving,
and has enabled cars to make money for their owners when they aren’t using them.
Number 5). Tesla is going to make Electric Vans Electric vans have been a topic of discussion
at Tesla for some time now. This kind of transport was mentioned in "Master Plan, Part Deux" and also
during the discussion of transport for The Boring Company tunnels in Las Vegas. In the 2016 Master
Plan, Part Deux, Musk had written that in addition to consumer vehicles, there are two other types of
electric vehicles needed: heavy-duty trucks and high passenger-density urban transport.
Both are in the early stages of development at Tesla and should be ready for unveiling next year.
In addition, in the summer of 2020, it became known that Tesla, together with the Boring
Company, are developing electric vans to carry 12 passengers and their luggage. This development
may become the beginning, and later lead to the start of, the mass production of electric vans
that can transport passengers or goods--not only in the Boring Company tunnels,
but also on the surface of the earth. Recently, Elon Musk had said that the company
would definitely make an electric van at some point. In fact, during the Q4 2020 Earnings Call,
Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets, Joseph Spak, reminded Musk that he had tweeted
in 2018 about electric vans and how exciting it would be to work with Daimler and Sprinter.
Based on this, he asked if Tesla was going to develop an electric van. Musk replied that the
company would make the van at some point, though not in the immediate future. He explained that
there is a fundamental limitation with batteries. Batteries are the main reason the company is not
pushing to as rapidly launch new products, even such as the Semi. Even though Tesla has
built prototypes of batteries, it still takes a lot of effort to scale the production up. Only
after this bottleneck is resolved will it make sense for the company to develop a new product.
Number 4). Robo Van Tesla may already have a lot of projects
on its plate, but the company still appears to be exploring other projects for its product lineup
in the future. Among these is a “Robo Van” that’s optimized to transport people with disabilities,
among others. References to the Tesla “Robo Van” were reportedly shared by CEO Elon Musk during
the company’s recent all-hands meeting, according to individuals familiar with the topics covered
in the event. Apart from the “Robo Van” being capable of transporting large numbers of people,
Musk reportedly highlighted that the upcoming vehicle would be designed to address the needs of
passengers with disabilities. This suggests that the Tesla “Robo Van” would be optimized for easy
ingress and egress, making it perfect for passengers who may have difficulty getting
into conventional vehicles. Features such as active air suspension, similar to the one used
in the Cybertruck, would be particularly useful for disabled passengers as well,
as they would make it easier for items such as wheelchairs to be loaded and unloaded from the
Tesla “Robo Van.” Considering that a conventional full-size van typically carries 12 people,
Tesla’s upcoming vehicle may actually have uses beyond the company’s typical customer base.
Number 3). The Competition Electric pickup trucks get mainstream
headlines, but electric vans are poised to make an equally large impact on the automotive world.
Don't believe us? Think about how many times you were visited in the past week by the United
States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, or Amazon Prime. Or by a local internet provider, plumber,
or electrician. Odds are each of those folks pulled up to your doorstep in a Ford Transit,
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. But those days will be long gone; during the next three years alone,
more than a half-dozen electric vans will go to work on American roads. It'll work, too:
An array of electric vans already zip across daily from worksite to worksite. Already in the U.S.,
Rivian-built Amazon vans prowl cities across the country. And while a green fleet makes for
good PR, these electrified vehicles are more about saving green. With fewer moving parts,
electric vehicles are potentially more reliable and less expensive to maintain than
their gas-powered counterparts. Electric drive is being introduced across the van spectrum,
with makers such as Volkswagen, Ford, Mercedes and other prominent brands joining ranks to compete
with Tesla by offering electrified vans for sale. In fact, amidst all the hoo-ha around Tesla's
electric van, Daimler has quietly announced a range of electric vans from Mercedes-Benz,
including an eSprinter Panel Van. Fueling these EVs is even cheaper, as electricity rates are far
more predictable than those of oil. Combine this with the fact the average delivery van travels
less than 160 miles per day nationwide—well within a battery-powered vehicle's range. It's also
possible that some overseas options come to the States as well. Stellantis already sells electric
versions of the ProMaster in Europe as the Fiat e-Ducato, Peugeot eBoxer, and Citroën e-Jumper.
Likewise, both Mercedes and Nissan offer electric versions of vans already sold in America: Mercedes
offers an eVito, better known to us as the Metris, overseas, while Nissan offers an e-NV200.
Number 2). Why are electric vans crucial? Battery electric vehicles are going to play an
increasingly important role in the International Van market as it evolves over the next few years.
More and more van makers are introducing electric vans as a result. While electric vans represent a
tiny fraction of overall sales right now, as concern about environmental pollution
grows – especially in city centres – businesses and private buyers will come under increasing
pressure to adopt such 'e-mobility' solutions. It is also understood that the best use for electric
vans would be in urban areas – so towns and cities – where you’re never far away from a plug.
Also, Electric vans are quieter at all speeds, with none of the diesel rattle you’re probably
used to – and while that can result in wind and road noise becoming more noticeable,
overall it’s a far more refined and relaxing driving experience. Electric motors also
remove the need for a conventional gearbox, so you simply select Drive or Reverse, and go. No tiring
out your left leg with the clutch during traffic jams here. No clutch also means reduced whole-life
running costs. Similarly, you’ll find you need to use the regular brakes less in an e-van. This is
because whenever you lift off the accelerator, the electric motor turns into a generator – a
process that not only recovers energy to top up the batteries but also acts to slow down the van.
On most electric vans, this action is quite pronounced – promoting what’s known as ‘one
pedal’ driving. Watch the road well enough, and you’ll find you can often drive for long periods
without needing to use the conventional brakes at all, thus reducing wear & tear and repair costs.
Number 1). Final Verdict As far as we know, the Tesla van has been in
the news and mentioned by Musk only a few times. With many legacy automakers now moving forward
toward electrification, compelling startups surfacing, and the Biden Administration aiming to
replace government fleets with electric vehicles, a Tesla van could make more sense now than ever.
Rivian is producing electric delivery vans for Amazon, and other automakers have already moved
forward with electric vans. While it would be great to see Tesla officially add an electric van
to its future pursuits, it has a lot on its plate. In addition, battery constraints will already
make it very difficult for Tesla to quickly move forward with its monstrosity of future projects.
So, what do you think? Is the new Tesla Van going to be hot or not? Let us know in the
comments below. We hope you enjoyed watching the video as much as we enjoyed bringing it for you!