Tesla Semi Release Date, Specs, Price News: All-Electric Truck Starts at $150,000; Reservations Now Open
Following its official introduction earlier this month, Tesla has announced pricing for the Semi — an all-electric heavy-duty truck that is touted to disrupt the trucking industry.
Tesla has revealed that the 300-mile variant of the Semi will have a starting price of $150,000 while the 500-mile model comes with a base price of $180,000. There will also be a limited-edition Founder Series truck priced at $200,000.
According to Electrek, these prices are considerably lower than what industry experts expected. The Tesla Semi is priced competitively as most diesel semi-trucks are said to cost around $120,000. The latter also comes with several operating costs.
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"We really thought about this a lot. If you take everything into account: take the lease cost, take the insurance cost, maintenance, all of the factors — the fully accounted for true cost of trucking — a diesel truck will be 20 percent more expensive than a Tesla Semi per mile," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk during the unveiling event on Nov. 16.
The Tesla Semi is able to lower costs by increasing its efficiency. The heavy-duty truck is powered by four electric motors that operate independently. Each motor controls the torque of one wheel. According to the automaker, the Semi consumes less than 2 kWh per mile. It is also said to achieve a drag coefficient of 0.36.
The all-electric truck has a quick acceleration time, as it is able to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour (mph) in 20 seconds — even while carrying a full load.
The Tesla Semi is also equipped with Enhanced Autopilot which enables the all-electric truck to operate semi-autonomously. It can stay in lane, automatically brake in cases of emergency and notify drivers of forward collisions.
Given these features and specifications, it is expected that the Tesla Semi will disrupt the trucking industry upon its release.
The Tesla Semi is currently available to pre-order with a base reservation fee of $20,000. Meanwhile, a Founder Series model reservation requires the full $200,000 price. Production is scheduled to begin sometime in 2019.
