Tesla Semi all-electric heavy duty truck has base price of $150,000 and reservation fee of $20,000

After several delays, Tesla unveiled its new all-electric heavy duty truck – the new Tesla Semi. The Silicon Valley-based carmaker touted the new Semi as having the ability to offer truck drivers with better experience, thanks to heightened safety levels and lower cost of transporting cargo. But after the reveal, there is one enigma that needed to be unraveled – the price of the new Tesla Semi.

Tentatively, the pricing for the new Tesla Semi could go as low as $150,000. Yes, the price hasn’t been fully finalized yet, with some changes on the rate still possible. While the prices for the new Tesla Semi are still tentative, they could remain as they are when the carmaker finally announces the final pricing of its new electric heavy duty truck.

The carmaker will be offering the new Tesla Semi electric heavy duty truck in two flavors. The first of them could go as far as 300 miles (480 km) before needing to re-charge, and this version has a starting price of $150,000. For fleet customers seeking a Tesla Semi that could cover a longer distance, they could go for the version that has an all-electric range of 500 miles (800 km) on a single charge.

This 500-mile Tesla Semi has a starting price of $180,000. On the other hand, Tesla is also making available a limited edition version of the truck – the Tesla Semi Founders Series. This limited edition has a starting price of $200,000. All starting prices for the new Tesla Semi are tentative and are applicable only to the United States. Prices for international markets may vary.

Interested customers are required to pay a deposit of $20,000 to reserve the new Tesla Semi electric heavy duty truck, whether the unit chosen is the 300-mile version or the 500-mile variant. It is of note that during the official unveiling of the Tesla Semi, the carmaker initially said that a deposit of $5,000 is needed to reserve the all-electric heavy duty truck. However, customers for the Tesla Semi Founders Series limited edition need to deposit the full price to reserve this version of the all-electric heavy duty truck.

According to Tesla, the new Semi electric heavy duty truck consumes less than 2 kWh of power per mile. Considering the stable and low nature of electric prices, customers could expect savings at least $200,000 just on fuel costs.

Tesla touts the new Semi electric heavy duty truck as highly reliable because it has fewer moving components than a typical diesel truck. It has no engine, no transmission, no differentials and no after-treatment system. It is powered by four independent motors mounted on the rear axles. The new Tesla Semi has the capability to climb a 5-percent grade at a speed of 65 mph, compared to just 45 mph of typical diesel trucks. Likewise, the new Tesla Semi with a load of 80,000 lbs could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in around 20 seconds.

Tesla is expected to commence production of the new Semi in 2019.