Tesla Semi saves more money than diesels?

Category: Logistics, Road

Elon Musk wants to convince skeptics that an electric truck is worth more to buy than their diesel counterparts. Tesla has said its electric truck will save money over time, but Tesla needs more data and validation to satisfy the sceptic crowd. Analyst Alexander Potter said electric vehicles cost much more to manufacture, but according to his estimates he thinks the costs of repairing, refueling and maintaining an electric vehicle are lower.

Yearly spending on those expenses runs $35,676 for diesel truck. The electric truck would cost less than half, $14,306. At that rate, electric trucks would recoup their extra costs over diesels and begin saving money in about 2 years, according to Potter. Other examples are, Semi would have operational costs of $1.26 per mile vs. $1.51 for a typical diesel. That’s a 16.6 percent savings. A big part of that is fuel savings – that extra dollar per five miles or, as Tesla put it, $200,000 over a million miles. Tesla also said it has been able to improve range by reducing drag on the sleek vehicle as it drives. But diesel manufacturers could make similar improvements to their trucks, reducing the Tesla Semi’s edge.

Yet Musk is hardly alone in chasing this holy grail. More established brands – including Daimler, Cummins, Mack, Peterbilt, Kenworth, Navistar, Volkswagen and Toyota – have shared their development efforts with electric power. Diesel power will be around probably for decades. But don’t be shocked if you live to see e-trucks as a common sight – not just for saving the environment but for saving costs.

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