Tesla is set to deliver its highly-anticipated all-electric Semi today for the first time. Will the truck live up to the hype?
Roughly two months ago, CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla would deliver the Semi to Frito Lay locations in California following the vehicle’s acquisition of an EPA Certificate of Conformity. Tesla and Musk had previously teased the ‘imminent’ arrival of the Semi for several years, but the hype of this year can only be slightly equated to the energy that Tesla and Frito Lay expressed last year: both had confirmed deliveries in December 2021, only for the trucks to never make it to their destination.
Fast forward a year, and what has changed? For starters, last year, Tesla did not earn an EPA certification for the Semi, which is required by law. The fact that Tesla finally received this certification and set up a special delivery event in Nevada can only lead Musk’s loyal believers and even skeptics to believe that the Semi is finally here, and it seems that it really is.
Excited to announce start of production of Tesla Semi Truck with deliveries to @Pepsi on Dec 1st! pic.twitter.com/gq0l73iGRW
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 6, 2022
Now that the Semi is finally here, or will be in a few hours from when this article is published, the real questions begin to surface: Will it really change the trucking industry? How does the Semi match up to Class 8 EVs already on the market? How long will it take to get one?
Will it really change the trucking industry?
The Tesla Semi is no doubt a huge development in the world of EV trucking. Will it change the industry? If it can live up to its astronomical range predictions, which are rumored to be around 500 miles when pulling an 81,000-pound load, it surely can raise the bar for competitors. The currently offered EV trucks on the market from Volvo, Freightliner, and Nikola offer significantly less in terms of range on a full charge. However, many of these trucks are geared toward local or regional logistics.
The Semi is definitely different than the others. A breakdown of the Semi vs. other trucks on the market below will break it down further. Where Tesla has set itself apart from competitors is in terms of tech, and just looking at the Semi, you know it’s different from the rest. The throne is set in the center of the cabin, dual monitors will track data and analytics for performance while offering basic features like navigation. Whether it is better or not, well, we’ll have to wait for some trucking experts drive it for a while.
How does the Semi match up to Class 8 EVs already on the market?
The Volvo VNR’s highest-range trim is its 6×4 Tractor, which packs 275 miles of range when configured with its six-battery offering. It also is capable of regenerating between 5 and 15 percent of its energy through braking. It has a top speed of 68 MPH, and is an ideal fit for “Local distribution and regional transportation with planned routes and frequent stops,” especially food service delivery, Volvo said. This may be why McDonald’s Canada ordered a few.
The Freightliner eCascadia just was delivered for the first time this week, with Penske commemorating first deliveries. This truck packs a 230-mile range rating with its top-of-the-line offering. Freightliner only offers a day cab, and with the range specs, it would also be ideal for local or regional deliveries. Its 80 percent charging in 90 minutes will keep deliveries going without much of a delay.
Nikola’s Tre offers 330 miles of range, the most impressive number thus far. Nikola has ramped up production of the Tre recently to reach 75 units in Q3. Arguably the best competitor to the Tesla Semi, the Tre may not offer charging speeds as fast as the eCascadia (80 percent charge in 160 minutes), but its impressive range ratings make it more applicable for longer routes.
The Semi offers the best of all of these, along with a 500-mile range rating, according to recent tests performed by Tesla. At first glance, the Semi just seems like a market-leading version of most Class 8 EVs on the market. Tesla still leans on self-driving and autonomous trucking as where the Semi will truly set itself apart from competitors. It may be some time before truckers can let the Semi drive them between hubs.
For what it’s worth, we received several emails from readers who were skeptical of the 500-mile claim from Musk. We were asked several times whether the trip was taken on a single charge.
How long will it take to get a Tesla Semi?
Tesla Semi production could reach 100 units this year, company Chair Robyn Denholm said. Next year, Tesla wants to build 50,000.
The potential production rate of 50,000 units is nothing to bat an eye at. However, Tesla has some big plans for 2023, and they include ramping Cybertruck production at Gigafactory Texas, a potential revamp of the Model 3 in Fremont, and more production in Germany and China. The Semi will undoubtedly reach higher production rates next year, but it will be difficult to scale production of a fresh vehicle this quickly.
Battery availability also comes into question, as it was the issue that kept the Semi from being built two years ago when Musk announced volume production would kick off. Tesla is building a lot of cars and using a lot of batteries. We know Tesla isn’t using the 4680 cell for the Semi, which means the much more widely available 2170 cell will not limit the Semi’s production rate, at least not in my estimation.
How long it takes to get a Semi is purely reliant on how fast Tesla can scale production. Tesla has typically done a good job of scaling its passenger vehicles, but the Semi is a different animal.
Tesla’s Semi Delivery Event will take place this evening at Gigafactory Nevada in Reno.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
Tesla analyst: ‘near zero chance’ Elon Musk’s $1T comp package is rejected
“There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”
A Tesla analyst says there is “zero chance” that CEO Elon Musk’s new compensation package is rejected, a testament to the loyalty and belief many shareholders and investors have in the frontman.
Tesla investors will vote on November 6 at the annual Shareholder Meeting to approve a new compensation package for Musk, revealed by the company’s Board of Directors earlier this month.
The package, if approved, would give Musk the opportunity to earn $1 trillion in stock, an ownership concentration of over 27 percent (a major request of Musk’s), and a solidified future at the company.
The Tesla Community on X, the social media platform Musk bought in 2023, is overwhelmingly in favor of the pay package, though a handful of skeptics remain.
Nevertheless, the big pulls of this vote are held by proxy firms and other large-scale investors. Two of them, Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, said they would be voting against Musk’s proposed compensation plan.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm
Today, the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA) said it would vote in favor of Musk’s newly-proposed pay day, making it the first large-scale shareholder to announce it would support the CEO’s pay.
One analyst said that Musk’s payday is inevitable. Gary Black of the Future Fund said today there is a “near-zero chance” that shareholders will allow Musk’s pay package to be rejected:
“There is a near-zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting.”
He added an alternative perspective from Wedbush’s Dan Ives, who said that he had a better chance of starting for the New York Yankees than the comp package not being approved.
There is a near zero chance that $TSLA shareholders will vote down Elon’s new proposed comp plan at the Nov 6 shareholders’ meeting. As Wedbush analyst Dan Ives (@divestech) colorfully put it in a Yahoo Finance interview on October 23rd: “I have a better chance of starting for…
— Gary Black (@garyblack00) October 27, 2025
Black’s the Future Fund sold its Tesla holdings earlier this year. He explained that the firm believed the company’s valuation was too disconnected from fundamentals, citing the P/E ratio of 188x and declining earnings estimates.
The firm maintained its $310 price target, and shares were trading at $356.90 that day.
Shares closed at $452.42 today.
The latest predictions from betting platform Kalshi have shown Musk’s comp package has a 94 percent chance of being approved:
— Kalshi (@Kalshi) October 20, 2025
Elon Musk
Tesla gains massive vote of confidence on compensation plan for Elon Musk
“”The SBA supported Tesla’s 2018 performance award proposal and reaffirmed that support in the 2024 Tesla shareowner vote. The total return on Tesla’s stock after enactment of its 2018 performance award and the prior history of incentive structured plans leads us to strongly support the proposed 2025 CEO performance award.”
Tesla gained a massive vote of confidence on its proposed $1 trillion compensation plan for CEO Elon Musk from the State Board of Administration of Florida (SBA) on Monday.
On Monday, the SBA submitted a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that it would vote to support Musk’s compensation plan, just as it did with the 2018 performance award and its second vote last year:
“The SBA supported Tesla’s 2018 performance award proposal and reaffirmed that support in the 2024 Tesla shareowner vote. The total return on Tesla’s stock after enactment of its 2018 performance award and the prior history of incentive structured plans leads us to strongly support the proposed 2025 CEO performance award. We believe the proposed award continues to promote an aggressive strategy to align incentives between management and shareowners and focuses solely on pecuniary factors and long-term shareowner value creation.”
This is the first large-scale shareholder that has come out and supported Musk’s potential compensation plan, which was outlined by Tesla and its Board of Directors earlier this month.
Most of the news surrounding Musk’s pay plan has been the opposite of what the SBA said today, as Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis, two proxy firms, said they would be voting against the compensation package.
Tesla Board Chair defends Elon Musk’s pay plan, slams proxy advisors
Musk replied to their vote last week during the Q3 Earnings Call, calling them “corporate terrorists.”
He said:
“I just don’t feel comfortable building a robot army here and then being ousted because of some asinine recommendations from ISS and Glass Lewis, who have no freaking clue. I mean, those guys are corporate terrorists. The problem, yeah. Let me explain, like, the core problem here is that so many of the index funds, passive funds, vote along the lines of whatever Glass Lewis and ISS recommend. They’ve made many terrible recommendations in the past. If those recommendations had been followed, they would have been extremely destructive to the future of the company.”
SBA’s perspective on the plan relies on what Musk has done in the past decade with Tesla, as he has driven company growth, increased shareholder value, and kept the company on track with its lofty and ambitious goals.
It also outlined nine reasons to support Musk’s compensation:
- Pure Pay for Performance Design – Entirely Performance-Based, aligns with Shareowners
- Size of the Award and Share Count – Performance-based allocation, dilution tied to value creation, structured milestone design
- Market Capitalization Milestones – Clear, tiered targets, sustained performance requirement, shareholder value focus
- Operational/Product Milestones – Clear, quantifiable goals, strategic product focus, financial discipline, multi-quarter evaluation windows
- Vesting/Holding Periods – Long-term vesting structure, mandatory holding period, continuous service requirement
- CEO Succession – Succession planning requirement, performance integrity safeguard
- Time Horizon and Duration – Extended performance window of 10 years, no intermediate vesting
- Dilution & Voting Power Implications – Potential for significant ownership increase, permanent dilution
- Ambition and Stretch Goals – Extraordinary Scale of Growth, Shareowner value focus
Shareholders will vote on Musk’s compensation package on November 6 at the annual Shareholder Meeting.
News
Tesla Optimus gets its latest job, and it’s not in the company’s factories
Tesla Optimus was spotted in its latest job placement, not at any of the company’s manufacturing or production facilities.
Optimus was instead spotted in New York City at Times Square, handing out Halloween candy to people:
Just saw Optimus in Times Square handing out candy to people! Pretty cool $tsla pic.twitter.com/Eg5Q8KH17H
— Will Coggins (@Patient_Profits) October 27, 2025
It is not Tesla Optimus’s first gig in the service industry, as it has already secured several employment opportunities through the company’s projects. Last year, it served drinks at the company’s We, Robot day, where the Cybercab and Robovan were unveiled.
Additionally, Optimus has been helping out at the Tesla Diner in Los Angeles, serving popcorn and greeting guests.
Elon Musk reveals big plans for Tesla Optimus at the Supercharger Diner
Optimus has many capabilities, and its applications can benefit both residential and commercial users. It is designed to be an at-home assistant, helping with tedious, monotonous tasks around the house.
In a commercial setting, Optimus will be programmed to handle everything from manufacturing to other factory-type tasks, as Tesla has already been using the robot in its own factories for smaller jobs.
Optimus has been in development for several years, but Tesla is ready to turn up the heat in terms of its capabilities and engineering as it prepares to launch it to a wider audience in the coming years.
During the recent Q3 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk gave updates on the Optimus project, highlighting its progress and the company’s current development status.
Musk said that Tesla is “on the cusp of something really tremendous with Optimus, which I think is likely to be, has the potential to be, the biggest product of all time.” He also mentioned that Tesla is in an interesting position because not only has it established itself as one of the biggest car companies in the country, but it’s the only company that manufactures vehicles and has a monumental grasp of the importance of AI and robotics.
“I’m unaware of any robot program by Ford or GM or, you know, by U.S. car companies,” he said.
Musk added that Optimus has some pretty big responsibilities around Tesla’s factories:
“I mean, bringing Optimus to market is an incredibly difficult task, to be clear. It’s not like some walk in the park. At some point, I mean, actually, technically, Optimus can walk in the park right now. We do have Optimus robots that walk around our offices at our engineering headquarters in Palo Alto, California, basically twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”
Right now, it appears Tesla is having its biggest challenge with the Optimus project around the development of its hands and forearms, which Musk called “an incredible thing” on the human body:
“The human hand is an incredible thing. The more you study the human hand, the more incredible you realize it is, and why you need four fingers and a thumb, why the fingers have certain degrees of freedom, why the various muscles are of different strengths, and fingers are of different lengths. It turns out that those are all there for a reason…Making the hand and forearm, because most of the actuators, just like the human hand, the muscles that control your hand are actually primarily in your forearm. The Optimus hand and forearm are an incredibly difficult engineering challenge. I’d say it’s more difficult than the rest of the robot from an electromechanical standpoint.”
Tesla is stumped on how to engineer this Optimus part, but they’re close
Optimus is starting to get more visibility in the public, and Tesla’s move to put it smack dab in the middle of New York City is one that will certainly bring some additional eyes to its development.
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