Tesla Semi program chief Dan Priestley has provided some end-of-the-year updates regarding the progress of the currently under construction Nevada factory that aims to begin series production in 2025.
Priestley, like his boss Elon Musk, prefers X, formerly known as Twitter, as his preferred news outlet, stating that "Yesterday, Semi Factory Nevada topped off the main area of the building with the last major piece of structural steel!"
[Related: Tesla Semi program manager gives most detailed update on its BEV to date]The Semi, first shown to the world in 2017 with a 2020 production start date goal, has experienced several delays though several dozen pre-production examples have been delivered to major industry players, specifically PepsiCo and DHL. The latter reported the completion of significant testing late last summer, stating that the Tesla Semi is "ready for prime time" following 3,000 miles of normal operations testing California.
During DHL's testing, it averaged 1.72 kWh/mile while operating in excess of 50 mph for over half its road time, surpassing both Tesla's and DHL's real world testing estimates. The pilot testing consisted of one fully-loaded, 390-mile drive with a gross combined weight of 75,000 lbs.
Some of the company's non-negotiable requirements for any electrified Class 8 semi include the ability to haul payloads over long distances of at least 500 miles on a single charge. Thanks to new technologies such as Megawatt charging, the Tesla Semi appears to be proving that it has the capability of matching, and possibly exceeding, expectations.
Megawatt charging reportedly allows for the Tesla Semi to achieve upwards of 1,000 miles of range on a single charge.
Priestley, a keynote speaker at the 2024 ACT Expo last May, told his audience the tare weight for the standard 300-mile range Semi is over 20,000 lbs. and the 23,000 lbs. for the 500-mile range version.
Assuming construction remains on schedule and the factory goes online next year, Tesla hopes to produce 50,000 Semis annually.
