Tesla Now Making Semi-Trucks?
Despite having yet to release its upcoming Cybertruck, Tesla is now reportedly taking pre-orders for all-new semi-truck EVs.
Back in 2017, Tesla announced they would be making an electronic semi-truck that would have futuristic concept art and other creative specs. The Tesla Truck would be powered by four independent motors on the rear axles, have a battery range of either 300 or 500 miles, and would go from 0-60 mph in under twenty seconds with a loaded weight of 80,000 pounds.
According to The Verge, any interested consumers can now make a reservation for one of these Tesla Trucks by paying $5,000 in advance and then an additional $15,000 within ten days from the initial deposit. It appears of the total $20,000 only the initial $5,000 deposit will be refundable. Total pricing for these new EV Tesla Trucks is slated to start at $150,000 and a number of orders have already been placed by businesses like FedEx and Walmart. Since the 2017 unveiling of these electric-powered Semi-Trucks, Tesla has struggled with the production of the latest EV Tesla Truck. This would make sense considering Tesla upscaled all of its production towards all of its other electric vehicle options. Currently, the Tesla’s Semi-Truck is scheduled to go into production next year but is expected to once again have additional spec changes which would only further delay the rollout of any complete Tesla Trucks.
Asking consumers to put down a deposit on the future production of these EV Semi-Trucks could suggest that Tesla is looking for a way to come up with any additional funding necessary to build the trucks. If that’s true, the deposits would essentially amount to interest-free loans. Still, Tesla trucks have a huge fan base that seemingly is more than willing to cough up the cash upfront to ensure a reservation to purchase one of the latest, greatest electric vehicles that will hit the highway in the next year or so.
For background information, Tesla is a clean-energy American automotive company based in Austin, Texas. Tesla produces and designs electric vehicles and battery energy storage for homes in the form of solar roof tiles and solar panels. Tesla is one of the world’s most profitable companies and remains the number one most valuable automaker with a market capitalization of well over $900 billion dollars. As of 2020, Tesla had captured 23% of the overall battery-electric market and 16% of the hybrid plug-in market. Elon Musk has been the largest shareholder of Tesla and became the CEO back in 2008. The mega-millionaire, Musk wants to use Tesla to help expedite moving to sustainable energy and transportation, which can be obtained through electric vehicles and solar power.
Five years after the official announcement, the Tesla Truck is truly now accepting reservations with a TBD date on the final completion of the production. Musk has provided hints that 2023 will be a major year for Tesla. It is uncertain as to if these hints are pertaining to the Tesla Semi-Truck or other creative EVs in the works.
