Musk has done it again! When Tesla unveiled its new high tech semi-truck last week, my jaw dropped in amazement. Most people can agree that its one of the coolest looking commercial vehicles ever made. Truckers weren't necessarily happy with all of its features and functionality, especially the fact that mirrors have been replaced with on-board cameras and displays.
Most observers will be impressed with the pricing if it holds, though. Tesla has listed estimated price on its Semi website for the 300- and 500-mile versions of $150,000 and $180,000 respectively, less than some pundits predicted. The fancier Founders Series, with the top specs, will cost $200,000.
The cost and environmental savings alone will have many companies hopping on board and slowly adding these to their current fleet especially when faced with the decision to replace one of their aging models.
Looking at the $180,000 model, it's still around $60,000 more than a diesel-powered semi truck. However, the Semi could cost around 20 percent less to run, Tesla estimates, putting savings over a million miles at around $250,000.
There is a significantly larger initial investment required to go electric still but when considering the long term benefits savings of around $250,000 combined with the possibility of contributing to a reduction of global warming and environmental damage (assuming electric is made from a renewable source i.e. solar or wind...) go for it!
The Tesla Semi will improve the trucker experience with an Enhanced Autopilot (automatic emergency braking, automatic lane keeping and lane departure warning) that will improve safety for drivers and other vehicles. It also features jackknife protection, sensors and cameras meant to reduce blind spots. For a truck it'll also have crazy acceleration, which could be useful for hill-climbing and other chores.
Beyond the cost savings and the potential reduction of environmental damage safety features such as enhanced autopilot and jackknife protection could be extremely valuable in reducing traffic fatalities.
What is not to like here? What do you guys think of this new commercial vehicle from Tesla? If you were a large logistics company would the benefits described above entice you to take a plunge and spend the extra cash it takes to get one of these beasts?
Thanks for reading!
Source:
Tesla electric Semi's price is surprisingly competitive - Engadget
Image Source:
TechCrunch