Tesla’s long-awaited electric semi-truck will have a range of between 200 and 300 miles, Reuters reports.
The vehicle will be unveiled by Tesla next month and contrary to what some thought, it won’t look to upset the high end of the long-haul trucking industry where diesel-powered alternatives can run for up to 1,000 miles (1,600 km) on a single tank.
Instead, an executive from Miami-based fleet operator Ryder System Inc, Scott Perry, has told Reuters that after meeting with Tesla officials, the automaker’s semi will be a day cab meaning it won’t have a sleeper berth and travel between 200 and 300 miles before recharging.
“I’m not going to count them out for having a strategy for longer distances or ranges, but right out of the gate I think that’s where they’ll start,” Perry said.
Approximately 30 per cent of all trucking jobs involve regional trips varying between 100 and 200 miles, allowing Tesla to enter a very large market, even if it doesn’t aim to rival cross-country haulers.
Although Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has released a teaser image of the semi, he hasn’t made any official statements about its range, features, cost or how much it will carry.
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