Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk has been in the news consistently for his purchase of Twitter in the last several weeks but his company is taking center stage in the trucking world with its announcement that it is now officially taking reservations for semi-trucks.
Back in 2017, Tesla was one of the first companies to show a fully electric semi-truck but it was not clear when it would actually go into production. Now, five years later, the Tesla Semi is finally available for order – but it’s not cheap.
According to CNET and InsideEVs, the electric big rig will require $5,000 immediately upon reserving, then another $15,000 within 10 days to secure your order. The initial $5,000 is fully refundable, according to Tesla, but once you pay the other $15,000, then even if you cancel your order, you won’t get your money back.
Tesla’s announcement does not give a time frame for delivery on the product saying, “By making your Reservation, you have secured the approximate priority for ordering your Tesla Semis. The timing of your order may depend on development, manufacturing and production schedules, among other factors.”
However, deliveries are believed to commence sometime in 2023 since Tesla boss Musk has said that 2023 will be a big year for Tesla. He previously said at the Cyber Rodeo event in Texas, “Production of Cybertruck [electric pickup truck] is coming next year. We will be in production with Roadster, and with Semi. That’s all coming. This year is all about scaling up and next year there’s going to be a massive wave of new products.”
While Tesla’s pricey electric semi-truck may be on its way, legacy truck manufacturers like Kenworth, Mack, Volvo and Freightliner are also in the EV truck game. For example, the Kenworth T680E electric Class 8 heavy duty truck debuted earlier this year as a day cab in either tractor or straight truck models. While the asking price is not published, the T680E is eligible for $150,000 vouchers through the California Air Resources Board.
