Tesla's new electric semi truck is built to survive a nuclear Armageddon

Elon Musk announced the fully electric Tesla Semi on Thursday night. The truck can haul 80,000 pounds and travel 500 miles on a single charge, as well as accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in just five seconds with an empty trailer, Wired reports. It also boasts "nuclear explosion-proof glass" because you never know.

Tesla has thought of just about everything for the cab, too. "[T]he driver's seat is now in the middle of the cab," writes Wired. "Because it didn't need to build around a bulky diesel engine, Tesla made the nose of the cab a vertical slab, and the main seat is so far forward, you can see the ground just in front of the vehicle. In a design touch that recognizes that truckers are human beings, there are overhead bins for storing stuff, and at least four cup holders." Two touchscreens allow the driver to navigate and monitor blind spots, and the vehicle is covered in cameras that assist with self-driving on freeways.

Musk said that on 100-mile routes, the Semi will cost truckers $1.26 a mile, compared to $1.51 for today's diesel trucks. Still, "500 miles is still far less than diesel trucks can travel," CNN writes. "And diesel fuel tanks can be refilled much more quickly than batteries can be recharged." Walmart, for one, is excited about the promise of electric trucks and preordered 15, which are expected to go into production in 2019, CNBC reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Learn more about the Armageddon-proof truck — adorably referred to as a "lorry" by Britain's ITV News — below. Jeva Lange