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F E B R U A R Y / M A R C H 2 0 1 8
MARKET REACTION
Tesla stock was up 4% the day after the
unveiling, and industry reaction was a
combination of admiration for the Semi's
specifications, and skepticism that Tesla
can deliver this product on time and make
a profit.
Some pundits speculated that Tesla has
advanced battery technology incorpo-
rated in the Semi truck prototype. Others
speculated that Tesla was using a gigantic
battery pack, perhaps 600 kilowatt hours,
which is six times larger than the Model S
battery pack. The giant battery pack led
to the speculation that Tesla can't make
money on this product.
In any event, Tesla opened the book
for reservations and received 140 pre-
orders from firms such as PepsiCo,
Anheuser Busch, Walmart and in Canada,
Loblaws. The unveiling of the Tesla
Semi truck was, in short, a success in
reversing the downward trend of Tesla's
stock price.
