Several Tesla Semi electric trucks have been spotted being shipped around the country ahead of the long-awaited start of deliveries.
Tesla Semi, an all-electric class 8 truck, was unveiled back in 2017. At the time, it was supposed to come as soon as 2019.
The vehicle program was delayed for years, and until recently, it wasn’t expected to go into production until 2023.
However, Elon Musk surprisingly announced last month that the Tesla Semi would actually start shipping later this year.
He didn’t clarify the timing beyond that, but it now looks like it is imminent as several Tesla Semi electric trucks have been spotted around the US being shipped on the back of other trucks.
The electric trucks are being produced in Nevada near Tesla’s Gigafactory, and yet, one Tesla Semi was spotted all the way in Kentucky this weekend:
Around the same time, another Tesla Semi was spotted in Arizona, and the truck driver reportedly said that it was heading to Tesla Gigafactory Texas:
Tesla has said that it would be its own first customer when it comes to the Tesla Semi. It plans to use it in its own operations and reduce fuel costs.
The automaker has already been using early prototypes in its operations, especially between Gigafactory Nevada and Fremont Factory, but now the company is expected to start using production units in higher numbers.
But based on Musk’s announcement, Tesla is also expected to finally deliver Tesla Semi to customers who have placed orders up to five years ago.
Tesla has been taking reservations with deposits for up to $20,000 per truck.
The company is believed to have thousands of reservations for the electric truck with several large companies having big orders, including Walmart and PepsiCo.
While the automaker has production capacity deployed in Nevada, it is fairly low volume. Tesla is expected to bring the vehicle to volume production at Gigafactory Texas next year.
The company has never announced a planned production capacity, but it is expected to be in the tens of thousands of trucks per year.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
