Tesla To Start Semi Volume Production in 2026, Aims for a 50,000-Unit Annual Capacity

Tesla has been surprisingly quiet about the Semi Class-8 truck in the past year. Like every Tesla model, the Semi production has been delayed for various reasons, as the EV maker has repeatedly changed plans. During the Q3 2022 earnings call, Elon Musk was confident that Tesla could reach a 50,000-unit annual capacity by the end of 2024. The volume production was supposed to begin in 2023 at Giga Texas.

However, things turned out differently, as Elon Musk changed his mind about, well, almost everything. The Semi production was moved from Austin to a new facility that Tesla would build in Nevada. Instead of the Semi, Tesla brought the next-generation EV to Giga Texas, which will probably not happen soon anyway because Musk changed his mind again. The latest information indicates that Tesla hasn't started building the new Semi production line in Nevada.

However, Tesla's head of Semi engineering, Dan Priestley, is confident that things will get in line. Priestley shared this information during a recent Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo event in Las Vegas, Nevada. This time, the new production deadline is 2026, with the same ambitious goal of 50,000 units of annual capacity. Priestley said that the Tesla Semi that will roll out in 2026 from Nevada will be significantly improved compared to current vehicles.

Tesla will make adjustments based on the feedback it received during current pilot programs. Priestly says that the Tesla Semi fleet has already accumulated 3.5 million miles. PepsiCo is the biggest operator of Tesla Semi, with 36 trucks in its fleet and 50 more expected to be delivered in the coming months. Tesla also operates its own fleet of about 100 trucks to haul things between its factories. Other companies that ordered Tesla Semis are not that lucky, as they are still waiting for delivery.

Priestley's presentation revealed that the Standard Range variant, which offers 300 miles (480 km) of range, weighs less than 20,000 lbs. (9,072 kg). The 500-mile variant, the first to start production, is heavier, at under 23,000 lbs. (10,433 kg). Tesla has carefully kept this information under wraps, although a leaked GVWR plate showed that the Semi had a lower GVWR rating than a Freightliner Cascadia Class-8 truck. The new information indicates that the Semi is less heavy than the Cascadia, which weighs about 25,000 lbs. (11,340 kg).

Priestley also revealed that the Semi trucks could do more than 1,000 miles in a 24-hour period, thanks to their fast-charging capabilities. The Tesla Semi fleet operated by PepsiCo is supported by a network of eight 750-kW Megachargers. The Semi proved 65% more efficient at maximum payload than gas rivals, averaging 1.7 kWh per mile across the fleet, according to a slide in the ACT Expo presentation.