Tesla begins taking reservations for its Semi. The first deliveries may not arrive for a long time.
The half of Tesla, postponed for a very long time, has just taken an important step in its long way towards the arrival on our roads. As CNET reports, the American automaker has started taking reservations for this big electric truck. You will still have to pay a deposit of $20,000 and Tesla did not specify the delivery window for the first units. In other words, production is still scheduled for a wave of 2023. Still, things are moving forward. Now, after big orders from PepsiCo and Walmart, small businesses and individuals can order.
Tesla starts taking reservations for its Semi
The Semi was officially unveiled in 2017, alongside the second generation Roadster. This machine was to make conventional trucks forget about it with a maximum range of 800 km, a fast Megacharger and a 0 to 60 mph in 20 seconds with a loaded weight of 36.3 tonnes. The base fare remains, at this point, unchanged at $150,000, which would make it a potentially viable vehicle for businesses that want inter-city links without the usual fuel costs or environmental impact.
First deliveries may not arrive for a long time
As with the new Roadster, however, the launch didn’t go as planned. Tesla has postponed its Semi several times, most recently due to chip shortages and limited production capacity for batteries. Reservations, at this stage, have less to do with imminent delivery than with cash flow for Tesla, just as the Cybertruck installments (estimated at 1.3 million units in November 2021) will allow the manufacturer to enjoy billions of dollars in revenue when the vehicle is ready.
Either way, Tesla isn’t worried about waiting. Competitor Nikola has only just ramped up production of its electric truck, and well-known brands like Freightliner have yet to see success with their electric vehicles. The Semi will therefore arrive on a rather young market with its brand and its technologies as important advantages.