Latest news with #TeslaSemi
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
8 Years Later: Tesla Semi Delayed Again, Production Now Expected to Begin in Late 2025
Ask yourself: how many times can a production date slip before you question the entire project? Elon Musk first unveiled the Tesla Semi in 2017 with a promised 2019 launch. Today, eight years later, that launch remains a mirage. Musk's original pledge to start building in 2019 vanished without a single factory-built Semi rolling off the line. A handful of pilot trucks appeared at a PepsiCo event in December 2022, yet no volume production followed. Tesla's own quarterly update now pushes the first assembly to late 2025, with meaningful volume still scheduled for 2026. The biggest recent news on the Semi? The walls were up at the Nevada plant. That's a seven-year gap between unveiling and projected mass manufacturing. Early prices-$150,000 for a 300-mile version, $180,000 for 500 miles-never held firm. Ryder, an early launch partner, slashed its order from 42 to 18 trucks and requested a 28-month extension, blaming "dramatic changes to the Tesla product economics." Simple math suggests each Semi now costs upward of $350,000-double the original quote-undermining the Total Cost of Ownership pitch that once dazzled fleet operators. Meanwhile, BYD's Class 8 8TT is hauling freight across North America. Customers like Anheuser-Busch, GSC Logistics and Golden State Express operate them on regional routes in California, demonstrating true highway operation (e.g. Port of Oakland to Tracy, CA, including an 8 % grade) with ample range remaining for return trips. Freightliner's eCascadia (a production Class 8 electric tractor designed for regional and highway applications) sees daily highway duty, offering up to 230 miles of range on a full charge and a gross combined weight rating of 82,000 lbs. Meanwhile, Volvo, Mack, Kenworth, and Peterbilt all have electric Class 8s on the road in the US; leaving Tesla way out in the cold. Tesla's promised 50,000 units per year by 2026? Too little, too late. Nine years overdue, it looks more like a press-release fantasy than an achievable target. Each new "update"-steel beams up! chargers installed!-serves as a rallying cry for hopeful investors. Yet slide decks and photo ops don't haul cargo or pay off loans. As recently as three weeks ago, facing a shareholder rebellion, Musk was assuring shareholders that he'd "deliver the Semi this year, and it will be huge". For Tesla devotees and shareholders alike, broken timelines transform into a test of faith: miss one deadline, reset the countdown, and wait for the next miracle. How long before investors demand proof over promises? The Semi's saga underscores a hard truth: grand reveals don't equal delivery. If it were only the Semi, one might give him the benefit of the doubt. But Elon Musk's other undelivered promises include Level 5 full self-driving by end-2020, a $25,000 mass-market Tesla, on-schedule Cybertruck deliveries, next-generation Roadster production in 2020, a fully automated robotaxi network by 2022, human Neuralink clinical trials in 2024, commercial Hyperloop service by 2021, and publicly accessible Boring Company tunnels by 2022. Musk's gifts lie in hype, not heavy haul. Until Semis exit the prototype hangars en masse, this program remains a stock-price prop, not an industry disruptor. Watch for disappointed and rebellious shareholders at the end of 2025. Fleet managers-and investors-should insist on steel on wheels, not steel beams in Nevada. Plenty of other brands are out there. Bookmark December 2025 and scope public delivery data. Then ask yourself: will Tesla finally roll real Semis off the line, or will the next slideware date simply become another bullet point in a growing ledger of unmet promises? Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tesla makes long-awaited announcement about new vehicle that has fans talking: 'Wish this was happening several years ago'
A recent update from electric vehicle giant Tesla has provided a launch window for its long-awaited semi truck. A post on the social platform X was shared to the r/teslamotors subreddit with the headline, "Tesla Manufacturing: RT @tesla_semi: Semi Factory progress update." The first Tesla Semis from the new facility are due to be rolling off production lines this year, according to engineer Dan Priestley. The Semi factory is still under construction in Nevada, but walls, pillars, and the ceiling are all up. While they are preparing the facility for high-volume production, it will take time to ramp up to the ultimate goal of 50,000 Semis a year. The Tesla Semi was announced eight years ago, and a few have been on the road since then in pilot program capacities. Priestley says these use cases show that "electric trucking is ready for scale." Early adopters have voiced glowing reviews. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks are the source of 23% of U.S. transportation pollution, according to the EPA, so electrified alternatives are welcome. The sooner industry can disconnect from dirty energy sources like gas, oil, and coal, the more quickly it can mitigate extreme weather patterns, warming oceans, and loss of sea ice. Best of all, EVs are much cheaper to operate. Tesla estimates Semi owners can save $200,000 in fuel costs over three years of operation. Despite the potential good Tesla stands to do both in commercial and residential transportation, CEO Elon Musk has recently been a challenge to the brand's image as a result of polarizing political activity that has appeared to shrink the company's market of eager customers. Some Tesla owners have taken to disguising their vehicles for fear of vandalism. Some Tesla charging stations have been severely damaged. Sales have been dropping precipitously. The benefits of EVs apply equally to consumers, regardless of the brand they buy from. If you've already made the switch to an EV, adding solar panels to your home can help you save even more. By driving with homegrown electricity, you avoid pollution created from a dirty grid, save money on monthly utility bills, and build up resilience in the face of outages. EnergySage has a free tool that can help EV owners find vetted local solar installers. Those technicians can provide a free quote and save homeowners up to $10,000 in installation costs. Reddit commenters had tempered expectations for the Tesla Semi rollout. "Awesome. Wish this was happening several years ago, but better late than never. (The Tesla way.)," one community member said. What do you think of Tesla and Elon Musk? Elon is the man Love the company; hate the CEO I'm not a fan of either I don't have an opinion Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. "I think there is also not a rush on these because they need the new charging infrastructure for these," another said. "They would also be battery limited at 50k semis right now, so I think they're ok with taking another 2-3 years to get to 50k/year." Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Telsa rival Daimler Truck wants to know if Elon Musk's Semi EV can actually live up to the hype: ‘We'd love to get our hands on one'
The first Semis are scheduled for manufacturing in Tesla's Nevada factory at the end of this year, after eight years of development and validation. Rival Daimler Truck is waiting to see how the eHGV compares with its critically acclaimed Mercedes-Benz eActros 600. As Tesla inches closer to the start of volume production for its Semi early next year, industry leader Daimler Truck is keen to see whether the model can live up to its hype. First revealed in 2017, the electric heavy goods vehicle (eHGV) came with such demanding specifications at the time that Bill Gates himself doubted back in 2020 that they were even feasible. When it finally hits the market, the Semi will be the model with the longest development and validation time in Tesla's range, after Musk missed his original 2019 launch date. But recently, Tesla has been offering a glimpse into its Nevada factory, indicating confidence that it can move from field testing into what it calls 'first truck builds' by the end of this year. 'We'd love to get our hands on a Tesla Semi, and really test it,' Daimler Truck finance chief Eva Scherer told reporters on Wednesday. 'We haven't been able to, it cannot be ordered yet.' Tesla has enjoyed a first-mover advantage in the EV space for most of its existence. But legacy truck companies, particularly in Europe, have already been quietly selling EVs for several years now. Daimler isn't the only manufacturer with a headstart on Tesla, either. Swedish rival Volvo Trucks said last month that it has already sold over 5,000 zero-emission electric vehicles. But Tesla aims to surpass these volumes, with a Nevada factory designed to manufacture a peak output of 50,000 Semis annually. Depending on whether customers order a standard or long-range version, these vehicles will be capable of driving between 300 and 500 miles, or roughly 500 to 800 kilometers. While Musk plans to use the first Semis built internally before rolling them out to North American customers, project lead Dan Priestley has said a European launch will follow soon thereafter. Due to recent regulatory changes, the Semi will be street legal in Europe and compatible with local trailers, where it will compete with the Mercedes eActros 600 for demand. So, once the Semi launches next year, expect Daimler to stress-test Tesla's claims, such as a 1,700-kilometer drive completed in 24 hours. 'We keep hearing that it's supposed to be next year,' Scherer said. 'And yes, once it's there, we're interested to have a look.' Notably, her company—the largest manufacturer of HGVs in the world with brands like Freightliner—had cast considerable doubt on Musk's ambitious plans just last year. Daimler Truck is also waiting with a competitor of its own. In September, the group won the International Truck of the Year award with its Mercedes-Benz eActros 600, the German brand's first model designed specifically for long-distance hauling, with a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles). Early this year, Daimler Truck followed that up with the largest order for EV trucks Amazon has ever placed, with a commitment to purchase more than 200 units of the eActros 600 (the number designates its battery capacity in kilowatt-hours) over the course of this year. Since diesels have long been considered the most economical option for long-haul freight transport, eHGVs have mainly earned a spot in last-mile transport. In that segment, the expensive batteries can be smaller but still sufficient in size to last the full day before recharging at the end, once they return to the depot. When Musk took the stage in 2017, he claimed the Semi would be so good at long-haul transport that it would be 'economic suicide' for logistics firms to choose anything else. Even in what Musk claimed was a worst-case scenario, a diesel truck would still be 20% more expensive to operate per mile than his Semi. 'This beats rail,' the entrepreneur said, should they operate in convoy. This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Insider
30-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Tesla adds over 1,000 workers to jump-start Semi truck production
Tesla is dramatically accelerating its Semi truck ambitions, hiring more than 1,000 new factory workers in Nevada as the company races to fulfill years of production promises for its electric big rig, according to three people familiar with the matter. The carmaker has brought the new workers into the Giga Sparks factory for training and tours over the past few months. Until recently, the company had fewer than 100 factory workers assigned to the truck, including at its pilot line in California, two people said. The increase in hiring coincides with Tesla opening an extension at the Nevada Gigafactory purely for Semi production. On its website, Tesla lists more than 80 manufacturing roles for the development of the Semi, from test and service technician roles to engineering and quality assurance positions. A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The company released a video update on Monday saying that it had finished building the factory and was beginning to set up production lines. Elon Musk first unveiled the Tesla Semi in 2017 and estimated that the truck would go into mass production in 2019. Tesla delivered its first Semi in December 2022 to PepsiCo, which placed an order for 100 trucks back in 2017. Musk said at the time that production would reach 50,000 units in 2024. UPS, Walmart, and Costco have also placed orders for the truck. More recently, in 2023, Tesla announced it would build a designated Semi truck factory in Nevada. The company said during its recent earnings call on April 22 that it would begin production in the facility by the end of the year, with mass production set to kick off in 2026. The facility has been delayed several times. Musk has repeatedly cited battery supply-chain constraints as an issue. The massive EV battery for the Tesla Semi is made up of tens of thousands of individual battery cells. The truck represents a mammoth effort for Tesla. The Semi has a range of up to 500 miles without a charge, which is nearly double the range of other electric semitrucks on the market and in development. Musk has said the truck will one day be able to operate as an autonomous vehicle. Tesla has said it can reach 70% of its full range in about 30 minutes at one of Tesla's Megachargers, a high-powered EV charger designed to replace a truck stop by providing a rapid turnaround charge for electric semitrucks.
Business Insider
29-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Tesla adds over a thousand workers to jumpstart Semi truck production
Tesla is dramatically accelerating its Semi truck ambitions, hiring more than a thousand new factory workers in Nevada as the company races to fulfill years of production promises for its electric big rig, according to three people familiar with the matter. The carmaker has brought the new workers into the Giga Sparks factory for training and tours over the past few months. Until recently, the company had fewer than a hundred factory workers assigned to the truck, including at its pilot line in California, two people said. The increase in hiring coincides with Tesla opening an extension at the Nevada Gigafactory purely for Semi production. On its website, Tesla lists more than 80 manufacturing roles for the development of the Semi, from test and service technician roles to engineering and quality assurance positions. A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. The company released a video update on Monday saying that it had finished building the factory and was beginning to set up production lines. Elon Musk first unveiled the Tesla Semi in 2017 and estimated that the truck would go into mass production in 2019. Tesla delivered its first Semi in December 2022 to PepsiCo, which placed an order for 100 trucks back in 2017. Musk said at the time that production would reach 50,000 units in 2024. UPS, Walmart, and Costco have also placed orders for the truck. More recently, in 2023, Tesla announced it would build a designated Semi truck factory in Nevada. The company said during its recent earnings call on April 22 that it would begin production in the facility by the end of the year, with mass production set to kick off in 2026. The facility has been delayed several times. Musk has repeatedly cited battery supply chain constraints as an issue. The massive EV battery for the Tesla Semi is made up of tens of thousands of individual battery cells. The truck represents a mammoth effort for Tesla. The Semi has a range of up to 500 miles without a charge, which is nearly double the range of other electric semitrucks on the market and in development. Musk has said the truck will one day be able to operate as an autonomous vehicle. Tesla has said it can reach 70% of its full range in about 30 minutes at one of Tesla's Megachargers, a high-powered EV charger designed to replace a truck stop by providing a rapid turnaround charge for electric semitrucks.
