Tesla begins deliveries in the United States of the production version of its Semi truck

Tesla has started customer deliveries in Nevada of the first units of the production version of its Semi truck. The company has also used the moment to present it as the start of its larger-scale production. Either way, the order volume keeps growing and orders continue to accumulate. The current assembly rate of new units, however, remains unknown.

Almost nine years have passed since the Semi was unveiled and about four since a handful of test units began reaching very specific customers. Now, at the new plant built expressly for producing this electric truck, Tesla has placed the first production units in the hands of several customers. The plant, covering about 167,000 square metres, has a production capacity of up to 50,000 units a year. The Standard and long-range versions, as well as the one intended for Europe, will be built on the same line.

Elon Musk did not attend the handover event for these first units, but addressed attendees through a video message. The head of Tesla insisted on the range, fast charging and the lower energy cost of the Semi, and also referred to the enormous waiting list for getting hold of a Semi unit.

The technical part of the event was handled by Lars Moravy and Dan Priestley, who explained the differences compared with the 2017 prototype. At the close, representatives of a dozen customers collected the vehicles and delivery documentation.

Semi orders are growing

The industrial start coincides with a significant jump in demand volume. This same week, Tesla was chosen as main supplier in a tender by the ZET SCALE purchasing alliance for 2,500 class 8 electric trucks. It remains to be seen, however, how many will be Semis, since Kenworth, Volvo and RIDE are also listed as suppliers. To this are added 500 units for Einride and 50 for IMC Logistics. This order backlog increases the pressure to reach the announced capacity. At the event, neither the current production rate nor the target output for 2026 and 2027 was disclosed. The selling price has not been made public either.

For Europe, Tesla has set the start of deliveries for 2027. Although the first Semi units will come out of Nevada, Musk has left open the possibility of producing this electric truck later at the Grünheide Gigafactory.

Technical specifications of this car

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