Why Tesla needs an electric van soon

There is something wrong with the automobile industry with electric vans.

This should not come as a surprise, as millions of vans are being sold each year – and manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors are making huge profits on vehicles in the United States, where they are extremely popular.

Ford has already announced that it would market an all-electric version of its mighty F-150. And Crosstown's American rival was involved in talks last week over the fact that he could take a stake in Rivian, an American start-up pickup and SUV, alongside Amazon.

GM told Business Insider that "we admire Rivian's contribution to a zero emission future and a fully electric future." By the end of the week, Rivian and Amazon had announced a $ 700 million investment cycle, led by Amazon, making no mention of GM's involvement.

Read more: Ford is working on an all-electric version of its F-150 pickup truck

Electrical pickups could be a requirement for future profits

Something must be done with electric pickups because all the major US automakers have to maintain their pickup dealerships in the face of rising government standards in terms of emissions and fuel economy. A world in which Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles can not sell pickup trucks in the United States is a world in which these types go bankrupt.

All the speculation about electrical recovery is an interesting development, a kind of pivot away from autonomous cars, which was itself a pivot against the craze for electric cars that had seized the media of the day. 39, automobile and technology from around 2010, when Tesla started generating buzz.

So what about Tesla? Well, CEO Elon Musk has already reviewed the company's fate in terms of electric vehicles and autonomy. It's a pivot. And he is aware that the automotive market is hungry for SUVs and crossover vans; Tesla is expected to unveil an off-the-shelf version of its Model Y crossover this spring, and Musk has been teasing a pickup for two years now. More recently, Musk said that last month, after the announcement of the fourth quarter results, a recovery could take place this summer.

But Tesla must walk on it. The fact that they have not yet officially shown a Y model is strange. Everyone expects it to be a slightly larger and slightly raised version of Model 3. The only big question is whether it will have falcon wing doors, at the way of the model X SUV (I hope not). Teslas all look great, but they also share a common design language. Even the Tesla Semi had this Tesla look. The Y model design renderings would make sense to publish now.

Tesla will have to improve his game for a pickup

They get a little pass for the van. If Tesla ends up making a kind of medium / full sized hybrid, she will have to be careful not to stick a bed on the back of a Model X – which would look like a Tesla El Camino. It is more likely that a new design will be put in place, which differentiates a pickup from the company's existing range of refined electric vehicles.

But Tesla can not wait forever. I would say that the concept of Tesla pickup has to land this year, as suggested by Musk. It does not matter when Tesla plans to build it and sell it. They have to show some products because everyone jumps into space and engulfs the mind. Rivian is just the last example. And with $ 700 million in financing and a product ready for production already unveiled, Tesla is immediately behind the curve of pickup trucks.

As for timing, Tesla is now cursed by his own success. Musk wants to offer competitive vehicles throughout the transportation economy, which includes semi-truck driving, pick-up speculation and the unveiling of a new Roadster sports car for high-performance spectators.

Tesla's success could slow down the development of pickup trucks

But the first job at Tesla in 2019 increases the production of Model 3. Tesla lacks scale to do many things at the same time. It's just the reality. The much larger car manufacturers practice the conceptualization, presentation and launch of several vehicles simultaneously. In the United States alone, more than a dozen automakers do it every year. At BI, we're watching pretty much everything that has four-wheel drive and we do not spend a lot of time bothering, that no new vehicle is boasted.

If we look only at the collections, we have already seen, since 2015, the big three of Detroit reorganize their queues in full size, add offers for big jobs, and launch or unveil a passel of new intermediate trucks . But while that was happening, many other cars and SUVs were in the spotlight, ranging from the Ford GT supercar to the Chevrolet Bolt EV.

Fortunately, Tesla is easier to break his weight. Traditional builders must strive to distinguish novelties, since they have been doing so for over 100 years. At Tesla, all that Musk has to do is post photos on Twitter. But that's not an excuse to stall. The electric pickups arouse strong feelings and the less time that Tesla passes in Ludicrous mode on his own truck, the more the back could fall.