Tesla Inc (TSLA), Mercedes-Benz Set To Lock Horns Over Electric Trucks

While Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) may be the beneficiary of most of the hype and press when it comes to electric trucks, other automakers are positioning themselves for a piece of what could be a rather large pie. Mercedes-Benz is one of the names at the top of the list, as the company has some ambitious plans of its own for the space.

Teslarati has the scoop on a battle that may be brewing between Tesla and Mercedes-Benz.

While Tesla Semi “leaks” and spy footage continue to emerge and drive up interest in Elon Musk’s upcoming, all-electric truck, other companies that already have a long history in the transportation industry have been plugging away at making electric trucks, including on-road test models and, in some cases, production models that are already being built and sold.
Chief among those competitors is Daimler, who has already put some electric trucks into production and has plans for many more. Daimler is also the world’s most prolific commercial truck maker with operations around the globe with brands such as FUSO, Freightliner, and Mercedes-Benz leading many markets for commercial vehicle sales.

Tesla has been touting its plans to roll out electric trucks by 2019, but Mercedes-Benz has cast shade on those claims. Mercedes-Benz is working on its own electric big rig models, but the company has indicated that the tech has only advanced so far at this stage of the game.

Regardless of who gets to market first, it’s quite clear that there’s big interest in electric big rigs, and that should lead to plenty of jockeying for market share.

Tesla Inc shares fell $3.93 (-1.19%) in premarket trading Friday. Year-to-date, TSLA has gained 5.35%, versus a -0.28% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

TSLA currently has a StockNews.com POWR Rating of B (Buy), and is ranked #3 of 24 stocks in the Auto & Vehicle Manufacturers category.