Tesla Semi Prices

Tesla’s electric semi, the future-conscious company’s newly unveiled big-rig truck, will have a $150,000 base price. Tesla’s lowest-priced model is supposed to travel 483 km (300 miles) on one charge. The long-range truck will feature an 805-km (500-mile) range, priced at $180,000, according to a report by Business Insider.

This is pricier than what analysts at Morgan Stanley had initially predicted, which was that the Semi could start at $100,000. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, said during his big Semi unveiling last week the truck would be less expensive to operate compared to traditional diesel trucks. He estimates the cost to be about $0.78 per km ($1.26 per mile) compared to $0.94 per km ($1.51 per mile) for traditional haulers.

To reserve a standard version of Tesla’s electric semi, buyers must deposit $20,000. However, those desiring the limited founders series have to pay the full $200,000 straightaway. Production is expected to begin in 2019. A number of major corporations, such as J.B. Hunt, Meijer, and Walmart, have already placed orders for the new Semi.

Production of Attrition

Some industry critics suggest that Tesla’s new-vehicle releases are “cash-grabs.” The company is having trouble pushing through production bottlenecks with its mass-market Model 3, the most affordable and most sought-after Tesla. So far, there are at least 450,000 orders for the compact sedan that have not been filled yet.

Tesla recently had to delay its production and delivery estimates to an even later date when the Model 3 fell short of its production goal. The company put out a mere 260 Model 3 cars by September’s end instead of the 1,500 promised. In fact, Bloomberg published a report this week limning Tesla’s expenditure over the last year at roughly $480,000 per hour.