Tesla Pickup Truck Will Cost Less Than $50K
Elon Musk says the truck will be more functional than a Ford F-150.
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk claims the new Tesla truck will cost as little a $49,000 making it very competitive with other electric pickup vehicles. There isn’t a whole lot of information about the Tesla pickup out there, but Musk has repeatedly said it’s one of his favorite Tesla vehicles.
Elon Musk
“You should be able to buy a really great truck for $49k or less,”
On last month’s Ride the Lightning podcast hosted by Ryan McCaffrey, the CEO said the price of the truck will definitely be under $50,000.
Competitors much higher in price
Tesla’s biggest rival in the electric pickup market is no doubt the Rivian R1T. The all-electric truck has received excellent feedback since its launch last year; but, its starting price of $69,000 might be a big stumbling block for the market.
However, the electric truck market is currently so small, any electric vehicles vaguely similar are being compared; despite, possibly aiming for very different markets.
The Rivian R1T is marketing itself as a luxury adventure pickup truck which may not be exactly the crowd Tesla will try and sell to.
Musk has boasted about the Tesla truck’s super futuristic shape and its cutting edge technology. The energetic CEO says he wants to beat the classic Ford F-150 in terms of functionality but have the sports car feel of a Porsche 911.
“It’s going to be a truck that’s more capable than other trucks,” Musk explained.
Musk aims for practical luxury
In a series of tweets from last year, Musk reeled off some of the stats the truck will have. If the rumors are true, the truck will have six seats and 400-500 miles of range per charge. It will be equipped with a dual motor AWD, a 240-volt connection for heavy-duty tools, and up to 300,000 pounds of towing capacity.
The electric truck market will, no doubt, expand in the next few years as electrification of vehicles branches out from family sedans and sports cars.
In January this year, Ford announced plans to make its iconic F-150 truck electric. At a press conference, Ford President, Jim Farley revealed the big news but left fans without a lot of detail.
The F-150 has been the most popular truck in the United States for the last 40 years. The truck is the core of Ford’s business, and it comes in a variety of versions. However, in recent years truck sales have been declining across the nation.
Ford to electrify American classic
Ford’s intention to make the typically fuel-guzzling vehicle into electric is likely part of a plan to get buyers back. The planned electric F-150 won’t just save money on fuel, maintenance, and emissions. Ford says they also plan to design the truck so it can be used as a portable generator for construction sites.
“With the F-150 electric, you don’t have to have an expensive generator on site now,” he said. “You can just plug your tools into your truck and that electric powertrain will run all the tools on the job site. Customers will pay for that because now they don’t have to buy an expensive $10,000 generator.”
