
The head of the Tesla Semi program, Dan Priestley, has released a new rendering of its upcoming Semi Factory that's currently under construction in Nevada. It is set for completion sometime in 2025, a date that would be aligned with the company's previously stated goal of beginning Semi production later that year. Tesla aims to eventually build 50,000 Semis annually.
The rendering, first shown on X, formerly known as Twitter, is accompanied by a photo showing the factory's current construction progress. The new factory is located next to Tesla's Gigafactory, which is dedicated to lithium-ion battery production.
Tesla has broken ground for its Semi Factory in Nevada. Construction is currently scheduled to be completed in 2025.Dan Priestley via X
The battery-electric Semi was unveiled in 2017 and originally had a target production date of sometime in 2020. Production eventually got underway in late 2022 though it's remained fairly limited.
Around 70 units have been built so far but a majority have gone to PepsiCo. At present, it is the only fleet known to be piloting these trucks in real world operations. There are 15 Semis on the Modesto, California area and around 21 in Sacramento.
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Other customers who put down the $20,000 deposit per vehicle have remained in limbo. It's been rumored that the base price for the 300-mile-range Semi is $150,000 while the 500-mile-range version costs $180,000, though Tesla has not confirmed final figures. These prices are subject to change with little to no notice, as has been the case with the company's passenger vehicles.
Late last year, two of PepsiCo's Semis took part in the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's Run on Less program, which involved a pair of Semis running on two different route types: long-haul routes that transport between 250 and 520 miles per run and with a gross vehicle weight load of up to 82,000 lbs. Other tested routes consisted of less than 75 miles daily, moving diminishing load that leaves the facility nearly full and lightens throughout the day.
Megawatt charging was used for these demos, enabling the Semis to reach a 1,000-mile range on a single charge. Tesla claims to have around 50,000 DC fast chargers globally, but expanding that network even more will be critical to the Semi's success.
A keynote speaker at the 2024 ACT Expo, Priestley noted that the tare weight for the standard 300-mile range Semi is over 20,000 lbs. and 23,000 lbs. for the 500-mile range version. Tesla, according to Priestley, has logged more than 3.5 million miles on Semis to-date with a freight efficiency greater than SuperTruck 2, achieving 1.7 kWh per mile.