Tesla gave the Semi a late 2025 and early 2026 true launch date as the company has started construction of a dedicated manufacturing facility for the Class 8 truck.
Tesla has been utilizing the expertise of PepsiCo. for an early pilot program involving the Semi to test real-world efficiency and travel. For the past two years, Tesla and PepsiCo. have been working to understand how the vehicle will make fleets more efficient and environmentally friendly as the truck is still making its way toward volume production.
However, the Semi launch has been pushed back on several occasions, but executives on Tesla’s Q1 2024 Earnings Call on Tuesday gave a timeline of when they believe the hauling vehicle will be available for more deliveries:
“Our first vehicles are planned for late 2025 of external customers starting in 2026.”
The thing that has held up production is Tesla’s want for a more affordable and efficient manufacturing process. Additionally, Tesla’s Semi production facility, which is currently being built in Nevada near Tesla Gigafactory, is also being constructed:
“So we’re finalizing the engineering of the Semi to enable like a super cost-effective high volume production with our learnings from our fleet and pilot fleet and Pepsi’s fleet, which we’re expanding this year marginally. In parallel as we showed in the shareholder’s deck, we have started construction on the factory in Reno.”
Tesla also showed the land where the Semi production facility will be and the progress of the construction:
Credit: Tesla
Tesla broke ground on the site in January after announcing the $3.6 billion project nearly a year to the day:
Tesla breaks ground on $3.6B Giga Nevada expansion for Semi and 4680 cell
The Semi is one of the biggest developments in Tesla’s current pipeline, as it will help the company obtain a vehicle that is primarily dedicated to fleets and logistics.
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