Tesla says that deliveries of its all-electric Semi will begin this year. The news that Tesla delivered in its Q1 2021 Update Letter seems to hint that the battery constraint issues that put the Semi’s initial delivery dates into question could be coming to an end once-and-for-all.
Earlier today, Tesla released its Q1 2021 Shareholder Deck, an Update Letter that brings shareholders and enthusiasts up to date on some of the lesser-known details surrounding the world’s most-discussed car company. In its Product Outlook section, the automaker revealed that the Tesla Semi is now set to begin deliveries later this year, positive news for the many pre-orderers of the all-electric commercial truck.
The news effectively can put an end to talks of battery constraints, an issue that has plagued automakers who manufacture electric vehicles for years. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said in the past that battery constraints have been the main bottleneck affecting Semi production. As recently as March 2021, Musk said, “Demand is no problem, but near-term cell supply makes it hard to scale Semi. This limitation will be less onerous next year.” Still, it is not a new issue. During the Q3 Earnings Call in 2020, Musk said, “We need to solve the cell constraint before ramping Semi to significant volume. That’s the only real constraint on Semi’s progress.”
The Semi, due to its large size, increased range, and need for excessive power output requires a significant number of battery cells. The Semi could have been produced earlier, but it could have affected the production processes of Tesla’s mass-market vehicles, like the Model 3 and Model Y. Ultimately, the widespread consumer vehicles take priority, and the Semi project simply had to wait.
Tesla is not dealing with any issues in terms of Semi demand, however. Earlier this year, it was announced that PepsiCo. would be receiving 15 Semis from Tesla, making it one of the first companies to accept delivery of the all-electric 18-wheeler. PepsiCo. said that it expected to take delivery by the end of 2021, and Tesla’s new estimates align with these predictions.
The hype surrounding the Semi has been especially loud this year. Tesla has been building out a Semi technician team in multiple locations. The vehicle was also spotted on the Fremont Test Track earlier this year in a video released by Tesla on Twitter.
Tesla Semi rips through Fremont Factory’s test track in new video
Along with the Semi, Tesla plans to continue building out Model Y capacity at both Giga Berlin and Giga Texas, both remaining on schedule with production and deliveries set to begin “in each location in 2021.” Additionally, the automaker said that Tesla’s China-located production plant in Shanghai is also set to continue expanding.
Tesla reported its seventh-straight quarter of profitability along with a revenue of $10.389 billion for the first quarter, non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.93, and non-GAAP net income surpassed $1B for the first time in the company’s history.
Elon Musk
Tesla scrambles after Musk sidekick exit, CEO takes over sales
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly overseeing sales in North America and Europe, Bloomberg reports.

Tesla scrambled its executives around following the exit of CEO Elon Musk’s sidekick last week, Omead Afshar. Afshar was relieved of his duties as Head of Sales for both North America and Europe.
Bloomberg is reporting that Musk is now overseeing both regions for sales, according to sources familiar with the matter. Afshar left the company last week, likely due to slow sales in both markets, ending a seven-year term with the electric automaker.
Tesla’s Omead Afshar, known as Elon Musk’s right-hand man, leaves company: reports
Afshar was promoted to the role late last year as Musk was becoming more involved in the road to the White House with President Donald Trump.
Afshar, whose LinkedIn account stated he was working within the “Office of the CEO,” was known as Musk’s right-hand man for years.
Additionally, Tom Zhu, currently the Senior Vice President of Automotive at Tesla, will oversee sales in Asia, according to the report.
It is a scramble by Tesla to get the company’s proven executives over the pain points the automaker has found halfway through the year. Sales are looking to be close to the 1.8 million vehicles the company delivered in both of the past two years.
Tesla is pivoting to pay more attention to the struggling automotive sales that it has felt over the past six months. Although it is still performing well and is the best-selling EV maker by a long way, it is struggling to find growth despite redesigning its vehicles and launching new tech and improvements within them.
The company is also looking to focus more on its deployment of autonomous tech, especially as it recently launched its Robotaxi platform in Austin just over a week ago.
However, while this is the long-term catalyst for Tesla, sales still need some work, and it appears the company’s strategy is to put its biggest guns on its biggest problems.
News
Tesla upgrades Model 3 and Model Y in China, hikes price for long-range sedan
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles).

Tesla has rolled out a series of quiet upgrades to its Model 3 and Model Y in China, enhancing range and performance for long-range variants. The updates come with a price hike for the Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive, which now costs RMB 285,500 (about $39,300), up RMB 10,000 ($1,400) from the previous price.
Model 3 gets acceleration boost, extended range
Tesla’s long-range Model 3 now comes with a higher CLTC-rated range of 753 km (468 miles), up from 713 km (443 miles), and a faster 0–100 km/h acceleration time of 3.8 seconds, down from 4.4 seconds. These changes suggest that Tesla has bundled the previously optional Acceleration Boost for the Model 3, once priced at RMB 14,100 ($1,968), as a standard feature.
Delivery wait times for the long-range Model 3 have also been shortened, from 3–5 weeks to just 1–3 weeks, as per CNEV Post. No changes were made to the entry-level RWD or Performance versions, which retain their RMB 235,500 and RMB 339,500 price points, respectively. Wait times for those trims also remain at 1–3 weeks and 8–10 weeks.
Model Y range increases, pricing holds steady
The Model Y Long Range has also seen its CLTC-rated range increase from 719 km (447 miles) to 750 km (466 miles), though its price remains unchanged at RMB 313,500 ($43,759). The model maintains a 0–100 km/h time of 4.3 seconds.
Tesla also updated delivery times for the Model Y lineup. The Long Range variant now shows a wait time of 1–3 weeks, an improvement from the previous 3–5 weeks. The entry-level RWD version maintained its starting price of RMB 263,500, though its delivery window is now shorter at 2–4 weeks.
Tesla continues to offer several purchase incentives in China, including an RMB 8,000 discount for select paint options, an RMB 8,000 insurance subsidy, and five years of interest-free financing for eligible variants.
News
Tesla China registrations hit 20.7k in final week of June, highest in Q2
The final week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.

Tesla China recorded 20,680 domestic insurance registrations during the week of June 23–29, marking its highest weekly total in the second quarter of 2025.
The figure represents a 49.3% increase from the previous week and a 46.7% improvement year-over-year, suggesting growing domestic momentum for the electric vehicle maker in Q2’s final weeks.
Q2 closes with a boost despite year-on-year dip
The strong week helped lift Tesla’s performance for the quarter, though Q2 totals remain down 4.6% quarter-over-quarter and 10.9% year-over-year, according to industry watchers. Despite these declines, the last week of June stands as the second-highest of 2025 and the best-performing week of the quarter.
As per industry watchers, Tesla China delivered 15,210 New Model Y units last week, the highest weekly tally since the vehicle’s launch. The Model 3 followed with 5,470 deliveries during the same period. Tesla’s full June and Q2 sales data for China are expected to be released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) in the coming days.
Tesla China and minor Model 3 and Model Y updates
Tesla manufactures the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai facility, which provides vehicles to both domestic and international markets. In May, the automaker reported 38,588 retail sales in China, down 30.1% year-over-year but up 34.3% from April. Exports from Shanghai totaled 23,074 units in May, a 32.9% improvement from the previous year but down 22.4% month-over-month, as noted in a CNEV Post report.
Earlier this week, Tesla introduced minor updates to the long-range versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in China. The refreshed Model 3 saw a modest price increase, while pricing for the updated Model Y Long Range variant remained unchanged. These adjustments come as Tesla continues refining its China lineup amid shifting local demand and increased competition from domestic brands.
-
Elon Musk22 hours ago
Tesla investors will be shocked by Jim Cramer’s latest assessment
-
News6 days ago
Tesla Robotaxi’s biggest challenge seems to be this one thing
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla’s Grok integration will be more realistic with this cool feature
-
Elon Musk2 weeks ago
Elon Musk slams Bloomberg’s shocking xAI cash burn claims
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla China roars back with highest vehicle registrations this Q2 so far
-
News2 weeks ago
Texas lawmakers urge Tesla to delay Austin robotaxi launch to September
-
News2 weeks ago
Tesla dominates Cars.com’s Made in America Index with clean sweep
-
Elon Musk1 week ago
First Look at Tesla’s Robotaxi App: features, design, and more