Serial Production Of Tesla Semi Truck Began Nine Years After Its Premiere
Credit: Tesla
Tesla has begun serial production of the Tesla Semi electric truck. Production is taking place at a new facility in Sparks, Nevada. The approximately 160,000-square-meter plant is designed to produce up to 50,000 trucks per year.
The prototype was unveiled back in the fall of 2017, but it became a long-delayed project, second only to the second-generation Roadster in terms of delays. Tesla Semi production was expected to begin in 2019, but the deadline was gradually pushed back, and it wasn’t until late 2022 that the company handed over several trucks to PepsiCo’s logistics division for trial operation. Since then, small-scale Semi assembly has continued on an experimental line in Nevada, while a full-scale mass production facility for the Tesla Semi was being built nearby.
By February of this year, Tesla had finalized the specifications and configurations for the production vehicles. The standard version, capable of traveling up to 520 km (320 mi) on a single charge with a 37-ton payload, is priced at $260,000, while the 800 km (500 mi) range variant costs $290,000. These are the lowest prices for electric long-haul trucks in this class in the US market. Both versions produce 1,072 hp and support fast charging from a 1.2 MW terminal, allowing the vehicle to be charged to 60% of its range in around 30 minutes.
According to some media reports, the Semi will be offered in two versions: Standard Range with a range of about 500 km, costing approximately $260,000, and Long Range with a range of up to 810 km, costing $290,000.
