Here's the new electric big rig that could bring the hammer to Tesla's Semi
Tesla's all-electric Semi truck has been the biggest story of the year for freight hauling, but the rig won't even go into production until 2019, assuming everything actually goes according to plan.
In the meantime, Elon Musk's dream machine will face some steep competition from other future-forward truck companies looking to cut in on the marketshare with energy and emissions-conscious fleet operators. The newest player just threw its hat — or more appropriately, its mythological hammer — into the ring: Thor Trucks, a new Los Angeles-based startup, has an all-electric semi truck design that could convince trucking companies to pass on a new Tesla in two years' time.
Thor just unveiled its prototype, the ET-One, which, like the Tesla Semi, is projected to hit the roads in 2019. The rig looks straight out of the Transformers universe, right down to a logo evoking the mark of the evil Decepticons.
Thor claims the ET-One will boast a range of up to 300 miles fully loaded with 40 tons of freight. The truck is meant for short range hauls and day trips.
The company's in-house designed powertrain options vary from 300 to 700 HP. To justify its $150,000 price tag (just like Tesla), Thor promises a lower cost of operation when compared to traditional diesel-powered trucks. The ET-One will cost 60 percent less per mile in maintenance dollars, with a 70 percent lower costs per mile in fuel, the company says.
When you build an electric truck, you can't avoid mentioning the elephant in the room: Tesla. Thor's comms team acknowledged it's not looking to go head-to-head with Elon Musk's juggernaut, and expressed "admiration" for Tesla and its rival, Nikola. Instead, Thor's going about its electric fleet building differently, ignoring autonomous technologies to work with existing companies in the industry as a partner rather than a full-on competitor.
But the company still sent some shade Tesla's way, claiming its goal is to demonstrate that eco-friendly vehicles aren't just "vanity plays," and that EVs can make entire fleets more efficient and cost-effective to manage.
Thor will have to make quite an impression to forge inroads against the Tesla Semi, as Musk's rigs are receiving orders from big name fleet operators like Walmart and Budweiser ahead of the production target. But cozying up to industry stalwarts could pay off for a small company without major backing — and we could wind up seeing a good number of Decepticon-esque rigs on highways come 2019.
Topics Electric Vehicles
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
