Are Electric Vehicles About to Hit a Roadblock?

On Thursday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the EV maker’s latest marvel: a fully electric heavy-duty semi truck that can travel 400 miles within 30 minutes of charging, Musk says, with the same hauling capabilities as a typical 18-wheeler. The sleek rig also boasts the company’s semi-autonomous “Autopilot” feature, a centrally located driver’s seat, and lots of cupholders. As a surprise bonus, Musk also revealed a new sports car, a replacement for the company’s first offering, the Roadster. According the firm’s specs, the second-generation Roadster will be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in a neck-snapping sub-2 seconds and hit a top speed of more than 250 MPH.

Both the vehicles are just prototypes—it’s not clear when, or even if, production versions will hit the road, though Musk promises deliveries in 2019. But the flashy reveal of future offerings served to help eclipse the company’s present-day challenges, which are numerous. Production delays are dogging the firm’s new “entry level” Model 3 vehicles, which start at $35,000 before rebates. Tesla published its lowest-ever earning report in November, sending shareholders into a panic. Tesla stocks have plummeted 8.7 percent since the start of September. About 500,000 Model 3s have been reserved by customers, but only a fraction have been delivered. And it’s affordable vehicles like the Model 3 that are crucial to selling the broader consumer market on EVs.