Thor Trucks will have an electric truck on the market by 2019. This young startup is managed by a 25-year-old CEO with 17 employees currently situated the family’s old vineyard.
Daimler recently launched its first fully electric truck – now, another Tesla competitor has announced the launch of an electric truck in 2019. Thor Trucks first model is ET-One, and a prototype is already rolling around on Los Angeles streets.
The production model will be released in two versions. They will deliver a range of 160 kilometers (100 miles) and 480 kilometers (300 miles) respectively for a 90-minute charge time.
These short-range trucks are tailor-made for transport delivery services operating locally in urban environments. The load capacity, however, will match the Tesla Semi, with a maximum hauling capacity of around 36 tons (80,000 pounds). But Thor Trucks does not compete with either range or low pricing.
Thor Trucks will charge 150,000 dollars for the truck with the smaller battery pack. Their 160-kilometer truck will, therefore, be in line with the Tesla 480 kilometer model. Thor Trucks 480 kilometer version comes with a $ 250,000 price tag. This compares with the Tesla version with an 800-kilometer range, which is said to cost $ 180,000.
In the United States, the price tag for a conventional heavy-duty internal combustion engine is approximately $ 120,000. Additionally, an annual cost of about $ 70,000 will be paid for the diesel. However, Thor Trucks believes that their energy cost will be one-third of that sum. They claim that the advantages of using the ET-One over traditional diesel trucks are, being 60 percent cheaper in maintenance costs and 70 percent cheaper in fuel cost per mile.
Tesla has not managed to produce enough vehicles to meet the aspirations of the company’s passenger cars, and if the demand for electric trucks would increase rapidly, this may well leave a window open to Thor Trucks. They will also invest in converting conventional trucks into electric trucks, a market sector in which they have some experience.
Behind the company is 25-year-old CEO Dakota Semler and his 17 employees. According to Bloomberg, the prototype model evolved in what was previously the family’s vineyard in Los Angeles. Compared to its competitors, Thor Trucks operates under simple conditions.
The chassis derive from the Navistar truck and the engine is delivered by TM4. Even the lithium-ion cells come from the shelf, and a battery pack can deliver up to 1 megawatt. The ET-One also has a built-in energy recovery system from the brakes. Another aspect that will attract the diesel people is that the electric truck will have lower service costs than today’s diesel carriers.
