Little is known about the electric semi Tesla is expected to debut later this month, including the day and time the truck will be announced. However, Ravi Shanker, an analyst for investment house Morgan Stanley anticipates the cutting edge truck will come with a steeply discounted sticker price when compared to a conventional truck, according to fleet management magazine Commercial Carrier Journal.
In a note sent to clients earlier this month, Shanker said he expects the tractor to debut with an asking price of about $100,000 – roughly a 70 percent discount versus a modern diesel tractor, he notes – and speculates trucks could be shipped to customers by 2020.
Shanker’s prediction on price is well below other speculations that generally hover between $200,000 and $250,000.
Shanker believes Tesla could showcase the truck at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta later this month and that orders could be taken on site.
“If the order books fill up quickly, any carrier that holds back placing its order could potentially have to wait several years to get its hands on a Tesla truck – years during which its competitors could be running with up to a ~70% cost advantage,” he wrote.
Tesla is not currently listed among the inaugural show’s more than 450 exhibitors, and the Silicon Valley auto maker to-date has remained tight-lipped about its tractor project.
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