Tesla Semi priced at around $250,000 per unit: report

Old Spice

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https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-semi-production-price-revealed-pepsico/

The Tesla Semi is already being delivered to customers, but a lot of information about the production version of the all-electric Class 8 long-hauler is still under wraps. Following the delivery of more Tesla Semi units to PepsiCo earlier this week, however, some details about the vehicle were shared.

Among the most interesting aspects of the Tesla Semi is its cost, especially considering that electric vehicles tend to be more expensive than their combustion-powered counterparts. During the Semi’s unveiling in late 2017, Tesla estimated that the truck’s 300-mile version would cost $150,000 and its 500-mile variant would cost $180,000.

As per a comment from Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District Executive Director Alberto Ayala, it appears that the Semi’s current iteration costs a bit more than Tesla’s initial estimate for the vehicle. In a comment to The Sacramento Bee, Ayala noted that the District paid for 18 of the 21 Tesla Semi units that would be used at PepsiCo’s South Sacramento bottling plant using $4.5 million in grants.

Ayala further noted that the grants are designed to encourage companies to purchase zero-emissions vehicles like the Tesla Semi even if they cost a premium. In the case of Tesla’s Class 8 all-electric truck, the cost was around $250,000, about twice the price of a conventional, but heavily polluting, diesel-powered Class 8 truck.

“We have a pot of money, and we have to decide where it makes the most sense to spend it. And in our case, Pepsi was willing to work with us,” Ayala said.
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S.H.Peterson

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This will have really far reaching effects in the transportataion industy. Then into the economy. Cheaper logistics infrastructure helps lower prices. It helps conbat inflation.
Once Pepsi proves the great advantage of the Ev semitruck, there will be a FLOOD of takers.
17% of normal operational costs? YES, PLEASE!!!
 

cvalue13

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Not loving the story's vagaries (looking at Teslerati, not Sacramento bee).

Is that $250,000 per unit flat, or a unit price reflecting a 21 fleet commitment?

If that's fleet cost, what would a retail buyer pay?

Is that $250,000 pre or post Federal and State incentives (which are huge, especially in California, for these trucks)?

Telsarati's "article" provides such little analysis that it may as well have been generated by them plugging the Sacramento Bee article into ChatGPT with a prompt "describe this article in a blog post, and note that it's surprising the cost is $250,000 not $150,000"
 


sstevens805

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I'll tell you right now that ICE trucks are NOT 125k anymore. We picked up 50 single axle Peterbilt day cabs in '21 for 128k and the same exact unit is 197k now. So 250k for an electric tandem with a sleeper is way cheaper than it sounds. The Nikola is like 400k. @cvalue13 is right, California and air districts are throwing money at companies trying to get to zero emissions so that 250k doesn't tell the full story. If it's 250 without incentives, companies will snap these up quickly if it fits their needs (charging and weight).
 

Crissa

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This report for price has a serious caveat: It divides their entire price by the number of trucks so far.

However, they would have had costs for...
  • the Megachargers;
  • other chargers not listed;
  • the new facilities;
  • the training of technicians;
  • the training of drivers;
  • other trucks not listed;
  • other tools not listed.

Megachargers are expensive. Training is expensive. New tooling is expensive. It's like buying a new truck, garage, gas station, and service station!

So the per-truck number is probably inflated.

-Crissa
 

charliemagpie

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Th Semi at $250,000 would be in high demand. I guess far exceeding production capacity. Leading to years long waiting list.

Yet here we are... The same would apply even IF the Semi was priced at $350,000 imo

The case of setting a high price to maximise profits when production can't meet demand doesn't seem to apply for the Semi..

Perhaps this policy applies to the Cybertruck too.

Maybe there are plans to blow low production predictions out of the water.... for both.
 

bongaarts

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well, They have a history of setting high production targets and have been working on expanding their production facilities to meet demand. This could indeed lead to the possibility of exceeding low production predictions.
 

kbolt

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Tesla should be sending 1/10 of the semis produced to their giga factories so that they can use them to deliver vehicles. That would be amazing to slowly convert their own fleet.
 
 




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