Tesla to unveil first electric semis in October

Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Elon Musk, CEO of the electric car manufacturer Tesla, said the company will unveil the first all-electric semi tractor-trailer next month.

The trucks were designed in cooperation with unnamed companies in the trucking industry, Musk said during the annual Tesla shareholders meeting, and would rival traditional diesel models widely in use. The trucks could also be outfitted with Tesla's industry-leading autonomous driving software, though it has not said publicly whether that will be the case.

Musk said the company would unveil the truck on Oct. 26, but feedback so far from trucking companies has been overwhelmingly positive.

"We are showing off a working prototype at the end of September, but we have shown it to people who buy heavy duty trucking, and they all love it. They just want to know how many can they buy and how soon," he said at the shareholder meeting, which was held in July.

In a tweet Thursday announcing the unveiling date, Musk said the spectacle will live up to the hype.

"Worth seeing this beast in person. It's unreal," he said.

According to analysts at Morgan Stanley obtained by Business Insider, Tesla could begin selling the trucks as soon as 2020 and it's likely they have already been tested on roadways without the public realizing it.