Tesla appears to be ramping up on its campaign to make the Tesla Semi more recognizable as the all-electric truck was once again spotted in Los Angeles. The latest sighting showed a prototype of the vehicle on a trailer and later ended up in the carmaker's Design Studio in LA.
There, the Semi was photographed with the Cybertruck, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was on hand to inspect the vehicles.
The Tesla Semi, again being exposed to the public, is likely connected to the Cybertruck's recent sighting with Musk and television host Jay Leno, also in LA. It was speculated then that Leno plans to feature the electric pickup truck in a future episode of his Garage TV show.
However, with the Semi prototype getting its share of visibility, it should be safe to assume that the electric truck will be joining its Cybertruck sibling, Electrek reported.
As earlier mentioned, sightings of the Tesla Semi have been reported shortly after the vehicle was unveiled a few years back. The same report said there are two known Semi prototypes that Tesla has been testing, and there eyewitness accounts of the truck hitting the road.
But the Semi exposures dwindled in recent months, and it came as a surprise that the truck appeared again and even accompanied on one occasion by Musk. This latest episode stirred the speculations that Tesla will soon enter into the production phase.
That might be the case as Electrek said assembly of the Semi is starting in 2020 following pushback from the original plan of production started last year. Tesla, however, has made clear that the manufacturing of the truck will be in "limited volumes."
If these projections were true, it makes sense that Tesla now is on a promo drive and getting both the Cybertruck and the Semi on TV will surely drum up interest on the all-electric vehicles.
The Tesla Semi, in particular, has been advertised by Musk as a trucking solution that is both safe and convenient to use, perhaps the best in its class when the vehicles stars rolling out, according to Teslarati.
The truck will not sell cheap, though, as the base model will retail for $150,000 with a 300-mile range. For the 500-mile range version, the cash damage will amount to $180,000. These figures might appear quite expensive, but Tesla argued that the cost of ownership would make any of the Semi models a worthwhile investment.
The company said the cost of operating the Tesla Semi would be 50 percent cheaper when compared to diesel-powered trucks. Tesla has estimated that owners will realize savings of up to $200,000 with the electric truck.
And like the Cybertruck and other Tesla vehicle models, the Tesla Semi will hit the market with the expected Tesla-exclusive features like Autopilot. The automaker also reminded that performance-wise, the Semi will not disappoint.
The truck, thanks to its four independent motors, is able to accelerate from zero to 60mph in a matter of 20 seconds.
