You can’t accuse Elon Musk’s company Tesla of resting on their laurels.  They are now getting closer to testing a prototype, self driving, long-haul, electric semi-truck. In a email discussion with the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) seen by Reuters, Tesla are looking at now doing potential road tests.

California DMV officials are also meeting with Tesla”to talk about Tesla’s efforts with autonomous trucks,” state DMV spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez told Reuters.

Tesla is putting self-driving technology into the electric truck it has said that it plans to unveil in September and it is highly likely that the Tesla truck will offer the ability to move in “platoons”

“Platoon” is the term used for automated vehicles to travel very close together at speed which significantly cuts aerodynamic drag. Vehicles that platoon must continually communicate with each other and the infrastructure around them, but the distances between them are far too short to allow a human driver to react in time to emergencies.

If trucks at the back of the “platoon” were able to automatically follow a lead vehicle then that could cut the need for drivers.