“Tesla CEO Elon Musk was in his element Thursday night, announcing to grand applause that the company will build a truck that will change transportation and the world’s fastest production car. Whether Tesla can actually produce and make money on its mass-market Model 3 is a less exciting but far more important topic. In unveiling a semitrailer truck and new version of Tesla’s Roadster sports car to a crowd of delighted fans, Mr. Musk sold a bright future. Each new product, at first blush, offers highly compelling features. The electric truck, Tesla says, will offer 500 miles of range. The company says it will be significantly cheaper to operate than a traditional diesel truck. And the new sports car, which will cost $200,000 for a base model, will offer 620 miles. But, some aspects of the plan were thoroughly unconvincing. Mr. Musk said the truck would be available in 2019 and the sports car by 2020, which seems impossible given the company’s significant production issues. And some key details about the feasibility of the truck project were missing altogether. Mr. Musk didn’t say how much the truck will weigh, for instance, or what its price would be. Investors have never been too concerned about the practicality of Mr. Musk’s vision—the stock has gone up nearly sixteen fold since the 2010 IPO. But that nonchalance might not last much longer.”
