Tesla Semi Undercuts Expectations With $150k Base Price

The Tesla Semi debuted earlier this month with some very impressive specifications.

Tesla says its truck will boast a theoretical range of 300-500 miles, accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds without a trailer (that grows to 20 seconds with max payload) and have lower maintenance costs than a comparable diesel rig. With numbers like these, we expected the Tesla Semi to carry a huge price tag, but that doesn’t seem as though it will be the case, with the automaker pricing it from $150,000 for the entry-level model.

At that price, you’ll get an electric semi truck with 300 miles of range. A step up to the upper-tier model will tack $30k onto the price tag for a $180k total, but overall range will grow to 500 miles. Tesla requires a $20k deposit to reserve either of the trucks.
There will also be a ‘Founder’s Series’ version of the truck for $200k, which will require a cash deposit of $200,000. Info dug up by The Truth About Cars’ Bozi Tatarevic indicated the automaker will accept $5,000 of that $200k sum through credit card, but the remaining $195k will have to be sent through a wire transfer.

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Bozi also did the legwork for us and crunched the numbers to determine how large the Tesla Semi’s battery pack may be. Using a rough estimate of 1.8 kWh per mile (Tesla claims its EV powertrain will use up just under 2 kWh per mile) the 300-mile battery pack would be rated at about 540 kWh, while the 500-mile version will be rated at 900 kWh.

Many are expressing doubt the automaker will be able to turn a profit on the semi at these prices, though it’s worth noting the figures mentioned here are only the “expected base price.” Let’s see if it turns out to be more expensive.

[Source: InsideEVs]

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