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Tesla Semi production to ‘earnestly’ begin by 2020
When Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Semi last November, the bold CEO announced that the all-electric truck would likely start production sometime in 2019. While details for Tesla’s ramp for the Semi are still largely unknown, the company has nonetheless provided an update on the upcoming vehicle’s rollout, stating that the company would begin “earnestly” producing the Semi by 2020.
The update on the Semi’s production was shared by Eric Markowitz & Dan Crowley of Worm Capital, one of Tesla’s investors which currently owns about $200 million worth of TSLA stock. The Worm Capital financial analysts were part of a group who were invited to tour Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada last month. Markowitz and Crowley wrote about their insights from the Giga 1 tour in a post on the financial firm’s official website. Among these were information related by Tesla head of investor relations Martin Viecha, who dropped some updates about the company’s products and its plans for the near future.
For one, the Tesla head of investor relations reportedly noted that the company is aiming to start exporting the Model 3 to other countries sometime next year. What’s more, Veicha also noted that Tesla is planning on “earnestly” producing the Semi by 2020.
The update on the Semi’s production appears to suggest that Tesla is, for the most part, keeping its original target for the long-hauler’s initial rollout. Musk’s 2019 estimate for the start of the Semi’s production is undoubtedly aggressive and optimistic, but if Tesla intends to hit its stride with the Semi’s production by 2020, the company would probably need to start manufacturing the first electric trucks either in 2019 (within Musk’s original target), or early 2020 (if the vehicle’s rollout ends up happening in Tesla’s ever-prevalent ‘Elon Time’).
Tesla’s goal for the Semi is actually quite feasible, considering that the vehicle shares several components with the Model 3. This was confirmed during the Q2 2018 earnings call, when the company noted that the two vehicles share parts such as powertrains, door handles, and touchscreens, to name a few. On account of these similarities, as well as the manufacturing lessons Tesla learned during the Model 3 ramp, there is a pretty good chance that the Semi’s production would not see as many difficulties as the electric sedan’s.
In true Tesla fashion, the Semi boasts strong performance figures, thanks to its four Model 3-derived electric motors that enable the long-hauler to sprint from 0-60 mph in just 5 seconds without cargo. The Semi is also classified as a Class 8 vehicle, allowing it to transport the maximum amount of load usually permitted on US highways. Furthermore, the electric truck will be capable of operating in “Convoy Mode,” a system that will enable several Semis to semi-autonomously draft in close proximity with each other to reduce energy usage from wind resistance.
Tesla is currently continuing real-world tests of the Semi, with the long-hauler’s prototype being sighted traveling across the United States. Over the past few weeks, the Semi has visited some of the company’s reservation holders such as J.B. Hunt, UPS, and Ruan Transport Management Systems. Through interactions with the engineers accompanying the Semi across its interstate travels, some members of the Tesla community have been able to acquire some compelling tidbits of information about the prototype long-hauler, such as its 26-camera system, its carbon fiber body, and its upcoming sleeper features.
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Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
Estimated delivery dates for new Tesla Model Y L orders now extend all the way into February 2026.
The Tesla Model Y L seems to be in high demand in China, with estimated delivery dates for new orders now extending all the way into February 2026.
This suggests that the Model Y L has been officially sold out from the rest of 2025 to January 2026.
Model Y L estimated delivery dates
The Model Y L’s updated delivery dates mark an extension from the vehicle’s previous 4-8 week estimated wait time. A detailed chart shared by Tesla data tracker @Tslachan on X shows the progressions of the Model Y L’s estimated delivery dates since its launch earlier this year.
Following its launch in September, the vehicle was given an initial October 2025 estimated delivery date. The wait times for the vehicle were continually updated over the years, until the middle of November, when the Model Y L had an estimated delivery date of 4-8 weeks. This remained until now, when Tesla China simply listed February 2026 as the estimated delivery date for new Model Y L orders.
Model Y demand in China
Tesla Model Y demand in China seems to be very healthy, even beyond the Model Y L. New delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025. The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.
Tesla has been particularly kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else, such as the Model Y L. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China, with the vehicle ranking among the country’s top 5 New Energy Vehicles. Interestingly enough, vehicles that beat the Model Y in volume like the BYD Seagull are notably more affordable. Compared to vehicles that are comparably priced, the Model Y remains a strong seller in China.
Elon Musk
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
“And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.”
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Wednesday and commended Tesla CEO Elon Musk for his early belief in what is now the most valuable company in the world.
Huang and Musk are widely regarded as two of the greatest tech entrepreneurs of the modern era, with the two working in conjunction as NVIDIA’s chips are present in Tesla vehicles, particularly utilized for self-driving technology and data collection.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang regrets not investing more in Elon Musk’s xAI
Both CEOs defied all odds and created companies from virtually nothing. Musk joined Tesla in the early 2000s before the company had even established any plans to build a vehicle. Jensen created NVIDIA in the booth of a Denny’s restaurant, which has been memorialized with a plaque.
On the JRE episode, Rogan asked about Jensen’s relationship with Elon, to which the NVIDIA CEO said that Musk was there when nobody else was:
“I was lucky because I had known Elon Musk, and I helped him build the first computer for Model 3, the Model S, and when he wanted to start working on an autonomous vehicle. I helped him build the computer that went into the Model S AV system, his full self-driving system. We were basically the FSD computer version 1, and so we were already working together.
And when I announced DGX-1, nobody in the world wanted it. I had no purchase orders, not one. Nobody wanted to buy it. Nobody wanted to be part of it, except for Elon.
He goes ‘You know what, I have a company that could really use this.’ I said, Wow, my first customer. And he goes, it’s an AI company, and it’s a nonprofit and and we could really use one of these supercomputers. I boxed one up, I drove it up to San Francisco, and I delivered it to the Elon in 2016.”
The first DGX-1 AI supercomputer was delivered personally to Musk when he was with OpenAI, which provided crucial early compute power for AI research, accelerating breakthroughs in machine learning that underpin modern tools like ChatGPT.
Tesla’s Nvidia purchases could reach $4 billion this year: Musk
The long-term alliance between NVIDIA and Tesla has driven over $2 trillion in the company’s market value since 2016.
Elon Musk
GM CEO Mary Barra says she told Biden to give Tesla and Musk EV credit
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
General Motors CEO Mary Barra said in a new interview on Wednesday that she told President Joe Biden to credit Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, for the widespread electric vehicle transition.
She said she told Biden this after the former President credited her and GM for leading EV efforts in the United States.
During an interview at the New York Times Dealbook Summit with Andrew Ross Sorkin, Barra said she told Biden that crediting her was essentially a mistake, and that Musk and Tesla should have been explicitly mentioned (via Business Insider):
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla…You know me, Andrew. I don’t want to take credit for things.”
GM CEO Mary Barra said to Andrew Sorkin at the New York Times Dealbook Summit that she pulled President Biden aside and said Tesla CEO @elonmusk deserved the credit for EVs:
“He was crediting me, and I said, ‘Actually, I think a lot of that credit goes to Elon and Tesla,'” Barra… pic.twitter.com/OHBTG1QfbJ
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) December 3, 2025
Back in 2021, President Biden visited GM’s “Factory Zero” plant in Detroit, which was the centerpiece of the company’s massive transition to EVs. The former President went on to discuss the EV industry, and claimed that GM and Barra were the true leaders who caused the change:
“In the auto industry, Detroit is leading the world in electric vehicles. You know how critical it is? Mary, I remember talking to you way back in January about the need for America to lead in electric vehicles. I can remember your dramatic announcement that by 2035, GM would be 100% electric. You changed the whole story, Mary. You did, Mary. You electrified the entire automotive industry. I’m serious. You led, and it matters.”
People were baffled by the President’s decision to highlight GM and Barra, and not Tesla and Musk, who truly started the transition to EVs. GM, Ford, and many other companies only followed in the footsteps of Tesla after it started to take market share from them.
Elon Musk and Tesla try to save legacy automakers from Déjà vu
Musk would eventually go on to talk about Biden’s words later on:
“They have so much power over the White House that they can exclude Tesla from an EV Summit. And, in case the first thing, in case that wasn’t enough, then you have President Biden with Mary Barra at a subsequent event, congratulating Mary for having led the EV revolution.”
In Q4 2021, which was shortly after Biden’s comments, Tesla delivered 300,000 EVs. GM delivered just 26.
Tesla’s six-seat extended wheelbase Model Y L sold out for January 2026
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang commends Tesla’s Elon Musk for early belief
