Tesla Begins Deliveries of Semi-Electric Freight Trucks After Extended Development Period

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Tesla on Thursday announced that the electric vehicle maker was beginning deliveries of its Semi trucks to customers this week.

Executives at Tesla’s plant in Sparks, Nevada, made the announcement that the first customers will take delivery of the electric big rigs about nine years after CEO Elon Musk first announced the company’s plans to develop the long-haul freight trucks.

The Semi aims to open a new market for Tesla, which has long been known for its EV sedans and SUVs, by creating an electric option for commercial freight haulers.

The announcement comes at a time when diesel prices have surged to record highs, raising costs on firms in the trucking industry.

A Tesla semi truck recharges at a charging station at the Frito-Lay production facility in Modesto.

Tesla did not disclose its plans for production volumes of the Semi or its pricing at a webcast event held late Thursday at the plant, though it reiterated plans to build 50,000 Semis a year at the Nevada facility.

Elon Musk was not in attendance at the event but said in a recorded video message that, “I’d recommend placing more orders if you haven’t already, but the waiting list is already pretty significant.”

Several companies that have purchased the Semi – including PepsiCo, DHL and U.S. Foods – were in attendance at the Tesla event and were invited on stage, while trucks with their logos were shown outside.

The long-range variant of the Semi has a range of 500 miles with a single charge, as Tesla director of Semi truck engineering Dan Priestly said, those are “500 real-world miles. Our customers have validated it.” The standard version of the Semi has a shorter range of 325 miles on a single charge.

Tesla and Musk first unveiled the Semi in 2017 and planned to start production in 2019, though it faced delays due to supply chain disruptions.

The first Semi was delivered to U.S. customers, including PepsiCo, in late 2022 – though those trucks were made on Tesla’s lower-volume pilot production lines.

Tesla’s first truck rolled off the high-Volume production line in April. While volume production was expected to start this year, Tesla has since adjusted that guidance to not explicitly state that it will reach high-volume production this year.

Despite delays, competition and shifting EV policy in the U.S., Tesla secured a new order for 2,500 Semis from a coalition of major cargo-owning shipping companies – including Microsoft and PepsiCo, according to the nonprofit Catalyst Mobility. The group noted that figure is nearly double the existing fleet of electric Class 8 trucks.

Additionally, Swedish freight technology company Einride announced a deal last week to add 500 Semi trucks to its fleet.

Ticker Security Last Change Change % TSLA TESLA INC. 372.11 -5.83

-1.54%

Despite the setbacks, the company received a substantial new order for its electric heavy-duty transport platform.

Competition remains fierce as other manufacturers pursue similar electrification strategies to meet growing demand for sustainable logistics solutions.

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