Tesla’s new electric semi spotted hauling cargo for first time
Tesla’s foray into the semi truck market continued recently when a futuristic looking electric semi was seen hauling cargo for the first time near Sacramento, Calif.
Tesla Semi trucks spotted Supercharging near Sacramento on their first cargo trip https://t.co/aswDmjX8mS pic.twitter.com/oXP4QnNsGb
— Electrek.Co (@ElectrekCo) March 9, 2018
New Prototypes
Tesla Semi prototypes were spotted at a Supercharger station near Sacramento on their way down from Gigafactory 1 in Nevada for their first cargo trip test.
It gave the public a chance to catch up with the prototypes and give them their first look at the electric trucks towing trailers.
Gigafactory employees get a surprise visit from a pair of Tesla Semi trucks (via Instagram) – https://t.co/8iNXqwCzQy pic.twitter.com/OaxfmKdkVZ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) March 8, 2018
Expected Production
The Tesla Semi is expected to go into production in 2019 but so far, its only public appearance has been at the launch event.
After the Video was released, Elon Musk, Tesla Founder and CEO, posted a picture of two Tesla Semi’s with trailers in tow.
First Customer
In the photo description, Musk said that the two trucks were on their first production cargo trip, carrying battery packs from Tesla’s factory in Nevada to its car factory in California.
It follows what Telsa stated last year: that their first delivery would be to themselves.
Two Versions
The Tesla Semi will be produced in two versions, a base model with a 300-mile range and an extended range version that can go up to 500 miles on a charge. The base model starts a $150,000 and the 500-mile range version will sell for $180,000.
The Tesla Semi’s near silent exit. #tesla #teslasemi #ElonMusk pic.twitter.com/smcWda5zlp
— My Tesla Adventure (@MyTeslaAdventur) March 9, 2018
The company is accepting reservations for the vehicle costing $20,000 and so far, high profile fleets like UPS, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch, J.B. Hunt, and Walmart have all placed orders for multiple vehicles.
There will also be a limited edition “Founders Series” — a thousand will be produced — starting at around $200,000 each.
Sharing Charging Stations
The report said some of the companies are exploring the idea of sharing the charging facilities with one another for efficiency and cost savings. And just like the Supercharger stations for its cars, Tesla is also believed to be making plans for its own facilities along highways to sell electricity to truckers looking for a top-off.
