Thor’s new truck is called the ET-One, and it promises a range of up to 300 miles while hauling 80,000 pounds of cargo. So it’s essentially targeting the same short-haul regional route market being eyed by Elon Musk, who revealed the Tesla semi last month.
The ET-One will go for USD150,000 for a 100-mile range version and USD250,000 for the 300-mile version, which has a top speed of 70 mph. By comparison, Tesla’s semi will start at an expected base of USD150,000 for 300,000 miles of range, and USD180,000 for a 500-mile range version, with both to be offered on lease. So, advantage Tesla right off the bat.
Like Tesla, Thor Trucks brings a design-forward approach to the decidedly unglamorous world of heavy-duty rigs, with a broad, curved metal front panel that slopes down to the grille, which features the company’s distinctive Thor’s hammer-inspired logo.
Thor has a team of just 18 employees, according to Trucks.com, so it doesn’t appear to be anywhere near mass production capability, but it plans to use established trucking parts suppliers to scale up. The site also offers some details on the ET-One’s specs, including a Navistar chassis, heavy-duty axles from Dana and a motor from supplier TM4. The company is apparently using its own battery packs but filling them with cells from LG Chem and mounting them to both sides of the chassis under side skirts; they help produce an estimated 4,700 pound-feet of torque. The truck also has a 22-inch touchscreen on the dashboard, and the startup has hired engineers from the likes of Faraday Future, Chinese automaker BYD and Boeing.
