Tesla begins high-volume Semi production as charging gaps persist
Tesla estimates ranges of up to 500 miles for its electric truck, while public megawatt charging remains limited and a shipper alliance has ordered 2,500.
Tesla has begun high-volume production of its Semi at its Nevada factory, bringing the long-awaited electric truck into production as charging access remains a hurdle for wider fleet adoption.
Tesla estimates the long-range version can travel 500 miles per charge and the standard version 325 miles. The figures were confirmed at the production launch by Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice-president of Vehicle Engineering; they are estimates, not verified real-world results.
The trucks require specialised megawatt chargers, and Tesla’s website showed two public chargers operating in the Los Angeles area at the time of reporting. Dan Priestley, who leads the Semi programme, said Tesla plans to open 30 public chargers by year’s end.
A shipper alliance including Microsoft and PepsiCo has ordered 2,500 Semis, with deliveries expected to begin this year and continue over 18 months. Meena Bibra of nonprofit Smart Freight Centre, which was involved in the deal, said the group assessed price, performance, production capability and service support.
The order is not a record of completed deliveries. Ars Technica, in a report originally published by Wired, said that if all the trucks reach customers, they would nearly double the number of heavy-duty electric trucks currently on US roads.
