Nearly a Decade After Its Reveal, Tesla Begins High-Volume Production of the Semi
Tesla has officially started high-volume production of its electric Semi truck at a Nevada event, almost ten years after the concept was first unveiled. This week a group of shippers including Microsoft and PepsiCo placed a record order for 2,500 of the trucks.
Tesla held an invite-only, livestreamed event at its Sparks, Nevada factory on Thursday to mark the start of high-volume production of the Semi, its electric long-haul truck. The vehicle was first shown as a concept back in 2017, meaning nearly a decade passed before mass production began.
Elon Musk did not attend in person, instead appearing in a pre-recorded video while he attended a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the video, Musk described the Semi as "a driver's truck," comparing it to a sports car in truck form.
Range and Rivals
Lars Moravy, Tesla's vice president of Vehicle Engineering, confirmed at the event that the long-range Semi is estimated to travel about 500 miles per charge, roughly matching the average daily distance driven by US long-haul truckers. The standard version is estimated at 325 miles. Rival electric trucks currently advertise ranges between 155 and 430 miles.
Electric trucks already make up close to 30 percent of heavy-duty truck sales in China, but adoption has been slower in the US, partly because electric semis can cost two to three times more than diesel models and because charging infrastructure remains limited. Tesla's site currently lists just two public megawatt chargers, both in the Los Angeles area, though Semi program lead Dan Priestley said the company plans to open 30 by year's end.
Orders Amid Shifting Policy
The launch comes as the Trump administration and Republicans have cut billions in federal EV support and are moving to loosen fuel economy standards for trucks, which account for about 7 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, US diesel prices hit record highs this month amid disruptions tied to the Iran war, making electric trucks more cost-competitive.
This week, an alliance of shippers that includes Microsoft and PepsiCo placed a record order for 2,500 Tesla Semis, to be delivered over the next 18 months—a volume that would nearly double the number of heavy-duty electric trucks on US roads. A spokesperson for the nonprofit Smart Freight Centre, involved in the deal, said Tesla was chosen after evaluating price, performance, production capacity and service support. Tesla's Full Self-Driving feature is not yet available on the Semi, though Musk said it would arrive in the near future.
