The takeaway: Tesla has begun volume production of the Semi, its battery-electric heavy truck, at a new facility next to Gigafactory Nevada. The launch marks a more serious commercial phase for the Semi after years of delays. The company says the first Semis produced at the new factory are now being delivered to customers.
The Sparks, Nevada, plant can eventually produce 50,000 trucks a year, or about 1,000 a week, according to Tesla. Before this milestone, the company delivered a small number of trucks to PepsiCo in 2022, but those vehicles were built on a pilot line.
Tesla used an event at the factory to highlight changes made to the truck's battery, powertrain, and charging system. It also named customers that include PepsiCo, US Foods, DHL, WattEV, ABF Freight, Einride, IMC Logistics, and OK Produce.
The Semi will be sold in two versions. Tesla lists the Standard Range model at 325 miles of range when hauling a full 82,000-pound gross combination weight trailer. The Long Range model is rated for 500 miles under the same conditions. Tesla executives said the Long Range truck could reach about 600 miles with a lighter load of roughly 60,000 pounds.
Tesla has not released current prices or total reservation figures. When the company introduced the Semi in 2017, it set the starting price at $150,000 for a 300-mile version and $180,000 for a 500-mile version. Electrek reported earlier this year that Tesla was quoting some customers about $290,000 for the 500-mile truck.
The production Semi uses Tesla's 4680 battery cells rather than the 2170 cells used in earlier test vehicles.
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