Another Look at Tesla's Semi Trucks
The recent reveal of Tesla's semi truck models has gotten a lot of press, if you haven't noticed. However, that company is far from the only one working on a zero emission semi, and according to some of the people in my story below, Tesla might even be at a disadvantage in comparison.
This piece spun out of something the CEO of Navistar, a legacy truck manufacturer told me when I interviewed him upon their recent year-end earning's release. It was fun to dig into the topic a little bit deeper.
Photo: Tesla
Navistar International Corp. Chief Executive Troy Clarke has a message for tech entrepreneur Elon Musk: There will be more electric trucks on the road by 2025 from Navistar than semi-tractors from Musk’s Tesla Inc.
It’s all about familiarity, comfort and established customer base. Navistar’s International brand already holds 11 percent of the market for trucks in the heaviest Class 8 weight segment, according to research firm Statista.
Tesla, which introduced its semi in November, has collected hundreds of reservations. But it has yet to build a truck for a customer. It plans to launch production in 2019.
“Customers know us, and they know that when we give them a truck it gives them a guarantee that this truck is going to serve their needs, because we understand how our customers make money,” Clarke said in an interview with Trucks.com.
Read the rest on Trucks.com at this link.