A group of 26 newly-built Tesla Semi trucks have been spotted parked outside of the manufacturer's Nevada Gigafactory. Does this mean Tesla is finally beginning series production?
Not yet, but this is a further sign the OEM remains on schedule to do so next year upon completion of a new facility located next to the Gigafactory. It will be solely devoted to Semi production. The goal is to build 50,000 units annually.
This latest Semi update comes courtesy of a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, and it clearly shows several Semis parked outside of the facility, though it's suspected these are prototypes. If so, they will be used for ongoing testing and resolving any potential pre-production issues that need to be resolved.
[Related: Tesla reveals render of Nevada's upcoming Semi factory]
The pure battery-electric Semi was unveiled in 2017 and production was initially set to get underway in 2020. However, this did not happen until late 2022 and even then it was on a very limited basis.
To date, around 70 units have reportedly been built. A majority have gone to PepsiCo, the only fleet known to be piloting these trucks in real world operations. There are said to be 15 Semis in the Modesto, California area and around 21 in Sacramento. It's rumored that Walmart and Costco have also received a very limited number of Semis for internal testing purposes.
[Related: Tesla Semi program manager gives most detailed update on its BEV to date]
Other customers who put down the $20,000 deposit per vehicle have remained without answers regarding delivery dates. It's been rumored that the base price for the 300-mile-range Semi is $150,000 while the 500-mile version increases to $180,000. Tesla has not confirmed final figures as of this time. As typical with Tesla, specifically its passenger vehicles, these prices are subject to change with very little or no advance notice.
