Musk sketches out timeline for Tesla electric semi truck, pickup, roadster

Tesla Inc.’s plans to pad its lineup of electric cars are taking shape, with Elon Musk sketching out a timeline for the arrival of a semi truck, pickup and sports car.

After the final unveiling of the Model 3 sedan in July, Tesla will show an electric semi truck in September and a pickup in 18 to 24 months, the CEO said in a series of tweets Thursday. The company also will bring back the Roadster, its very first model, as a convertible.

Musk has telegraphed the company’s future products several times before, most notably in last summer’s “Master Plan, Part Deux.” With the Model 3 already aimed at transitioning Tesla from niche player to higher-volume automaker, the manifesto took it a step further, highlighting Musk’s desire to “expand to cover the major forms of terrestrial transport.”

“Team has done an amazing job,” Musk tweeted, referring to the semi truck. “Seriously next level.”

Musk may have been alluding to the semi truck’s self-driving capabilities. The auto industry has adopted a five-level system measuring autonomous proficiency, with the highest levels indicating systems that are capable of all driving-related tasks.

"It’s at least a semi-autonomous truck,” Ben Kallo, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., said by phone. "The important thing is that while everyone is focused on the Model 3, there are a lot of other projects going on at Tesla." 

Tesla declined to comment beyond Musk’s tweets.

The company's shares rose 2.4 percent on Thursday to close at $304, valuing the company at about $49.7 billion. Its market capitalization briefly passed General Motors earlier this week.