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And Musk has mentioned putting multiple Tesla S motors in the Tesla tractor. Why wouldn't Tesla trucks zip on up mountains along with the other traffic? Is there something I'm missing?
Nope, that's right. I expect a Tesla truck to maintain speed uphill (and use enough regenerative charging downhill to make normal brake failures and those emergency truck ramps a thing of the past).
Actually, he said they are using "a bunch" of
Model 3 motors.
Musk on truck: “There’s no gears,” he said. “It’s like single speed.”
He also said: “It is a heavy duty, long range, semi-truck. So it has the highest weight capability and with long range. So essentially it’s meant to alleviate the heavy duty trucking loads. And this is something which people do not, today, think is possible. They think the truck doesn’t have enough power or it doesn’t have enough range. And then with those with the Tesla semi we want to show that no, an electric truck actually can out-torque any diesel semi and if you had a tug-of-war competition, the Tesla semi what will tug the diesel semi uphill.”
Also, consider that when an ICE truck loses engine power, it stops. Whereas a Tesla truck with multiple motors, powering each axle (each wheel?)... then, even if one of the "infinite-mileage warranteed" Tesla electric motors fails, the truck should be able to continue driving, to the next Tesla service center!
