LOS ANGELES — Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that Tesla Semis will be shipped this year in a Twitter post on Aug. 10.
Musk shared the update as part of a series of posts about his Master Plan, Part Deux. He outlined then that the electric vehicle maker would release “heavy-duty trucks.”
Tesla 500 mile range Semi Truck starts shipping this year, Cybertruck next year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 10, 2022
The Tesla Semis are capable of traveling 500 miles on an electric charge, according to Musk. He has said that the 500-mile range even applies when the semi is pulling a full 80,000-pound load. Musk has also said that the Tesla Semi will cost less than a diesel semi considering fuel savings, lower maintenance and other factors.
The Tesla Semi was unveiled in 2017 and production began in 2019.
Since then, the project was delayed several times. Production finally ramping up in the summer of 2020.
“Musk’s update bodes well for the Tesla Semi 500-mile variant as well as its reservation holders, some of whom have been waiting for the Class 8 all-electric truck since it was unveiled in late 2017,” according to Teslarati. “PepsiCo, for one, noted last year that it was expecting the first Tesla Semi deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2021.”
Teslarati reported that the target date appeared to have been missed, though Tesla Semi units were spotted at PepsiCo’s Frito Lay facility in Modesto, California, this year. The reported that several Tesla Semi Megachargers have also been installed at the Modesto facility.
In April, one of the Tesla Semis was spotted at the Cyber Rodeo Giga Texas, which was held at Tesla’s new Texas factory.
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