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Planned Semi Production Would Make Tesla One of the Biggest Truck Makers in North America

Tesla will soon deliver its first new model in the past three years to Pepsi on December 1, but the EV maker’s ambitions are far larger. Elon Musk confirmed that Tesla aims to build 50,000 Semi trucks annually by 2024, more than most class 8 truck manufacturers in North America.
Tesla aims to build 50,000 Semi trucks per year by 2024 7 photos
Photo: Tesla
Tesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videosTesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videosTesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videosTesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videosTesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videosTesla updates the Semi website with new info, images and videos
Although late to market, like most Tesla products so far, the Semi Class 8 truck is poised to take the trucking industry by storm. In funny commercials, Renault Trucks can laugh all it wants, but the Tesla Semi is higher up the food chain. If Elon Musk’s plans are well executed, Tesla will build 50,000 Semi trucks per year by 2024, probably more than Renault Trucks’ overall production, including small trucks.

The Semi is now in limited production at a new facility near Giga Nevada, but the goal is to bring it to Austin for large-scale production. Right now, the Nevada facility can only build about five trucks per week, which equals 250 per year. Getting to 50,000 units per year would not be easy, but Musk is convinced Tesla has found a gold mine with the Cybertruck.

“We’ll be ramping up Semi production through next year,” said Musk during Tesla’s Q3 2022 earnings call. “As I think everyone knows at this point, it takes about a year to ramp up production. So, we expect to see significant — we’re tentatively aiming for 50,000 units in 2024 for Tesla Semi in North America. And obviously, we’ll expand beyond North America. And these would sell... I don’t want to say the exact prices, but they’re much more than a passenger vehicle.”

Musk also revealed more details about the Semi, and the most intriguing was about its batteries. Although the production of 4680 cells has tripled, the Semi would not use them, and we’ve learned that Model Y is not using them either at the moment. This means the production is not going as well as Musk wants us to believe.

Considering a Tesla Semi’s estimated battery capacity of around 1 MWh, the 50,000 production run looks even more impressive. It means that Tesla would need 50 GWh of battery production for the Semi alone, which is 25% more than the current production at Giga Nevada.

Tesla targets 500 miles of range with the first batch of Semi trucks that would deliver Pepsi and Lays in time for Christmas. According to Musk, the stated range takes into account not only the truck but also the trailer and the cargo. We’ll have to wait and see if the trucks delivered to Pepsi would be able to travel that far on a charge.

But what sticks in our mind is the scale of production Musk expects for the Semi. The 50,000 trucks would put Tesla in the second position among North America’s most important class 8 truck manufacturers, behind only Freightliner. The market leader sold 71,000 units in 2020, commanding more than a third of the market.
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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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