Tesla moves to electrify trucking after a decade of work and delays

Tesla has begun delivering its long-promised all-electric Semi after nearly a decade of delays, showing trucks at a Reno event and opening a dedicated plant next to its first Gigafactory. The company says the most capable variant will exceed 500 miles per charge (dependent on load), shorter-range versions will be offered, and the initial sticker will be just under $300,000 before incentives. Tesla plans up to 50,000 trucks a year (about 1,000 per week) from the plant and expects to create 3,000 local jobs. Executives pitched lower total cost of ownership, reduced emissions and greater reliability as the business case, while noting charging infrastructure - even as Tesla rolls out megawatt chargers and a network - remains a practical hurdle for customers.

The Semi’s launch closes a chapter of redesigns and supply setbacks: originally slated for 2019, production was delayed by the pandemic, parts and chip shortages, and iterative pilot feedback. Tesla engineers highlighted concrete changes - trimming roughly 1,000 pounds, consolidating three axle oils down to one, and replacing impractical pop-out windows with roll-down ones - and demonstrated a Semi charging from 3% to 60% on a megawatt charger. CEO Elon Musk was absent from the event (appearing in a pre-taped segment) as Tesla shifts its public identity toward robotics and AI, while promising partial automation features will arrive soon and defending the Semi’s economics versus diesel amid volatile fuel markets.