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Tesla Semi reservation holders are remaining unfazed amid skepticism, rising competition

[Credit: IllinoisUPSers/Twitter]

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While there remains a notable amount of skepticism from legacy trucking companies, the emergence of zero-emissions semi-trailers is looking more and more inevitable. Among these vehicles is the Tesla Semi, a battery-powered all-electric vehicle aimed at disrupting the lucrative trucking market.

Tesla pulled no punches with the Semi, with the Class 8 truck being capable of traveling up to 500 miles with one charge. In true Tesla tradition, the Tesla Semi is also very quick, thanks to its four Model 3-derived electric motors whose instant torque allows it to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat without a trailer. That’s muscle car-level acceleration — from a large, fully capable electric long-hauler.

When Elon Musk announced the Semi last year, he noted that the vehicle is expected to start production sometime in 2019. Such a timeline is an aggressive goal for the company, considering that Tesla is yet to announce where the large electric truck would be built. Considering Elon Musk’s tendency to be overly optimistic about his targets, as well as Tesla head of investor relations Martin Viecha’s statement earlier this year when he noted that the company is “earnestly” planning on producing the Semi by 2020, skeptics of the company suggest that the all-electric truck would likely see notable manufacturing delays, just like the Model 3 and Model X.

Despite these reservations, Tesla Semi reservation holders appear to be fully confident in the company’s capability to deliver the vehicle. In a statement last month, NFI Industries vice president of fleet services James O’Leary, whose company ordered 10 Semis, stated that the electric car maker is actually staying relatively consistent with its self-imposed timeline.

“They are staying relatively consistent with their timeline, even though Elon doesn’t talk about it on their earnings call,” he said.

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Albertsons Companies, one of the United States’ largest food and drug retailers, revealed its order of 10 Tesla Semis earlier this month. In a press release, the company noted that its adoption of the Semi is part of its efforts to decrease its overall carbon emissions and run a cleaner fleet. Tom Nartker, VP of Transportation, stated that Tesla Semi would play a part in advancing the company’s supply chain efficiency and sustainability as well.  

“Advancing supply chain efficiency and sustainability is an important goal for our company. We’re excited to pilot this expansion of our transportation program with trucks that help us limit our overall carbon footprint,” Nartker said.

Much like the passenger car market, the emergence of electric-powered vehicles is starting to become notable in the trucking industry. Legacy automaker Daimler, for one, has released vehicles like an electrified Freightliner as an alternative to fossil fuel-powered trucks. Hydrogen-electric vehicles from startups like Nikola Motor are also expected to enter the market in the coming years. Amidst these competitors, the Tesla Semi could very well play a large part in the emerging zero-emissions trucking market, as it aims to prove that battery-powered long-haulers are fully-capable of performing tasks usually reserved for diesel trucks.

The market for the Tesla Semi is vast, and so far, reactions from the market have been encouraging. As of the company’s Q1 2018 earnings call, CEO Elon Musk and CTO JB Straubel noted that Tesla had around 2,000 reservations for the vehicle, from companies such as PepsiCo, FedEx, and UPS in the United States and Bee’ah from the United Arab Emirates, to name a few. Overall, Tesla appears to have targeted the perfect market that is ready to be disrupted with the Semi — and it is a market that is prepared to invest and wait for a vehicle that would satisfy its needs.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla starts Full Self-Driving rollout to owners in Australia

“To have this car drive me around Brisbane for an hour, we’re talking in the city, motorway, spaghetti bowl of on-ramps, it handled it so well. It was mind-blowing.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has already started rolling out its Full Self-Driving suite to owners in Australia after officially launching the driver assistance suite in the country yesterday.

Earlier this week, Tesla seemed to be moving toward the launch of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Australia after numerous media members received early access to test its performance.

Tesla officially launched Full Self-Driving (Supervised) in Australia yesterday. The company told media members who got early access to the suite that the rollout would begin with Hardware 4-equipped Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

Tesla launches Full Self-Driving in a new region

The release would be slow and gradual, with the process performed in stages.

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The first stage of the rollout has already begun in Australia:

Tesla is reminding drivers in Australia who are using the suite for the first time that they must not become complacent while FSD is in operation. It is not fully autonomous and still requires the driver to remain attentive to road conditions and the vehicle’s surroundings.

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Currently, the suite is only available to purchase outright, and it comes at a cost of $10,100. A subscription model is in the works, similar to the one in the United States, but Tesla has not yet announced its plans or pricing model for this.

Australia is the sixth country to receive Full Self-Driving (Supervised), or at least some version of it, as the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, and Puerto Rico all have access to the suite currently. In China, it is slightly different and is referred to as “City Autopilot” due to regulatory boundaries.

Early reviews of the suite have been very strong, as local media have also had the opportunity to try it, with one journalist saying, To have this car drive me around Brisbane for an hour, we’re talking in the city, motorway, spaghetti bowl of on-ramps, it handled it so well. It was mind-blowing.”

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Tesla expands crazy new lease deal for insane savings on used inventory

Tesla was able to work through the hurdles in three states, expanding the deal to New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has expanded its new lease deal, offering people insane savings on used inventory.

Last week, we reported on Tesla offering crazy good lease deals on some of its used inventory, as people were able to grab monthly payments for as little as $225 per month with no money down.

There was only one catch: the deal was only available in California and Texas.

Tesla offers new deal on used inventory that you won’t want to pass up

However, Tesla has been working hard to get the lease deal expanded, and it finally has. Last night, Tesla’s VP of Finance, Sendil Palani, confirmed the deal had made it to three additional states.

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Palani explained that the deal was only available in California and Texas because the leasing process requires working through regulatory hurdles in each state. He said it “involves a nontrivial amount of work,” which makes things more difficult to iron out.

Tesla was able to work through the hurdles in three states, expanding the deal to New York, New Jersey, and Florida. It is currently active in those states, Palani said:

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Tesla is really making a concerted effort to push its inventory out the door, and many areas already are running low on both new and pre-owned inventory. It has cut prices on some new inventory, while offering these new lease deals on used vehicles that remain.

It is beneficial to the consumer for obvious reasons: cheaper payments and the ability to get a great deal on a car for no money down. Tesla is also getting rid of vehicles that were once thought to be intended for the Robotaxi fleet, but it appears these older hardware vehicles are no longer in the company’s plans for that purpose.

This is the first time Tesla has offered lease deals on used inventory, as it has only offered an outright purchase option in the past. In an effort to boost deliveries and rid itself of older cars, these lease deals are truly beneficial for both parties. It is only a wonder how long they will last.

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Elon Musk shares unbelievable Starship Flight 10 landing feat

Flight 10’s Starship upper stage demonstrated impressive accuracy when it came to its target landing zone.

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Credit: SpaceX/X

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk recently shared an insane feat accomplished by Starship’s upper stage during its tenth test flight.

Despite the challenges it faced during its return trip to Earth, Flight 10’s Starship upper stage demonstrated impressive accuracy when it came to its target landing zone.

Against the odds

Musk’s update was shared on social media platform X. In a conversation about Starship upper stage’s return to Earth, Musk revealed that the upper stage splashed down just 3 meters (under 10 feet) from its intended target. Considering the size of the Starship upper stage and the ocean itself, achieving this accuracy was nothing short of insane.

Starship Flight 10 was a success as both the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage completed all their mission objectives. However, videos and images released by SpaceX showed the upper stage’s heat shield scorched golden-brown and parts of its aft skirt visibly missing. The flaps and other surfaces also bore signs of heavy stress from reentry.

SpaceX highlighted this in a post on X: “Starship made it through reentry with intentionally missing tiles, completed maneuvers to intentionally stress its flaps, had visible damage to its aft skirt and flaps, and still executed a flip and landing burn that placed it approximately 3 meters from its targeted splashdown point,” SpaceX noted.

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A key milestone

The result stands in stark contrast to Starship’s earlier test flights this year, when all three prior upper-stage flights in 2025 ended in premature breakup before splashdown. Flight 10 not only marked the first successful splashdown of the year for the Starship upper stage, but it also delivered near-perfect precision despite its battered state, according to a Space.com report.

For SpaceX, this success is a critical proof point in developing a fully reusable launch system. A spacecraft capable of surviving severe reentry conditions and still landing within meters of its target underscores the robustness needed for future missions, including orbital payload deliveries and, eventually, landings on the Moon and Mars.

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