Elon Musk's latest announcement regarding the upcoming Tesla Semi will surely get the world's attention. The Tesla CEO confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the battery-electric class 8 Semi will be available worldwide.
However, series production has not begun and is not expected to until sometime in 2025 following completion of a new Nevada factory currently under construction that's specifically for Semi manufacturing.
Musk's confirmation should not come as a big surprise. Late last summer, Tesla, very quietly, issued a job posting for a Head of Business Development - Semi Truck that will be based in either Amsterdam or Berlin. The OEM, which lacks a media relations department, has not indicated whether or not this role has been filled.
[Related: Tesla Semi heading to Europe, according to job posting]
Last May at ACT Expo in Las Vegas, Tesla Semi program chief Dan Priestly address concerns over the program's delays; the Semi was introduced back in 2017. Priestly acknowledged that the company's specialty is "turning impossible into merely late."
[Related: Tesla Semi program manager gives most detailed update on its BEV to date]
Earlier this week, DHL made a bold announcement of its own, stating that the Tesla Semi is "ready for prime time" following two weeks of testing last summer. DHL Supply Chain USA performed 3,000 miles of normal operations in California with the Semi. The trial consisted of one fully-loaded, 390-mile drive with a gross combined weight of 75,000 pounds. The shipping and logistics giant confirmed that any electrified vehicle in its fleet must be able to haul payloads over long distances - at least 500 miles - on a single charge.
The Semi averaged 1.72 kWh/mile while operating in excess of 50 mph on average for over half its road time. These figures exceeded DHL's own expectations as well as Tesla's own internal ratings figures. DHL confirmed it placed an order for 10 Semis back in 2017 and it's possible that figure will increase based on this pilot run.