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Tesla Semi ‘speed & agility’ praised by professional driver after electric truck encounter
The Tesla Semi is currently traveling across the United States to gather real-world data and refine its systems before it gets released next year. Tesla seems to have brought the Semi over to be test driven by professional driver and 28-year auto veteran Emile Bouret recently as well, who walked away from the experience thoroughly impressed.
Emile Bouret is a professional test driver who has worked with Tesla for years. Bouret is a close friend of Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen, and he has been asked to test drive the company’s vehicles from the Model S to the original Tesla Roadster. He was also the man who conducted test drives in the next-generation Tesla Roadster during the vehicle’s unveiling last November.
The professional driver recently posted an update on his Instagram about the Tesla Semi, lauding the electric long-hauler for its speed and agility, stating that the truck’s performance is practically at odds with its size. Bouret’s caption on his Instagram post suggests that he actually got some hands-on time with the electric long-hauler.
“Blurring The Line | Coworker Edition – I’m clearly very lucky to do what I do & to work with many talented people. As if they could ever be overlooked, the inanimate coworkers I get to work with also tend to be incredibly capable. And that was certainly true with this one, which made a surprise appearance at a recent work site. To see this thing coming down the road in near silence & with speed & agility seemingly at odds with something of its size makes you feel as if you’re living in the future. Kickass cool & crazy in equal measure… the Tesla Semi.”
Tesla loves bending the rules of markets that it disrupts. When the company started selling cars, its business model did away with dealerships, shaking the very idea of how brand new cars are sold. When it seemed like GA3 would not be enough to build 5,000 Model 3 per week by the end of Q2 2018, Tesla built another assembly line inside a sprung structure at the grounds of the Fremont factory.
Now, Tesla is attempting to break into another market that is ripe for disruption — the American trucking industry — and its weapon of choice is the Tesla Semi. The Tesla Semi, just like CEO Elon Musk and the company itself, has attracted its own set of disbelievers and critics. Martin Daum, Daimler’s head of trucks, even suggested that the Tesla Semi defies the laws of physics, considering the specs announced by Musk. Jon Mills, a spokesman for engine maker Cummins Inc., largely dismissed the electric truck and its chances at the long-haul market as well, citing weak demand.
That has not stopped Tesla from pushing the Semi, though. Over the past few weeks, multiple sightings of the Semi have been reported across the United States, and during this time, the vehicle was seen visiting some of the companies that placed pre-orders for the long-hauler. Among these are UPS, J.B. Hunt, and Ruan Transportation Management Systems, all of which shared their enthusiasm for the truck online.
Just like Tesla’s other vehicles, the Semi is designed to be a long-hauler that could be driven well. This is a trademark of all Tesla electric cars to date, as the Model S, Model X, and Model 3 have all been hailed for their ride and drive. The vehicles themselves might attract criticism over their design (such as the Model X’s overcomplicated Falcon Wing Doors and the first-production Model 3’s build quality), but when it comes to drivability and performance, Tesla’s electric cars usually pass with flying colors.
This is what happened with the Model 3 during Detroit veteran Sandy Munro’s teardown and analysis of the vehicle. Munro spared no criticism when he talked about the Model 3’s panel gaps and overall build quality, but when he actually drove the electric sedan, he was impressed. Munro later noted that the person who tuned the suspension for the Model 3 could easily have been an “F1 Prince” — no small compliment coming from a man with decades of experience in the auto industry.
If Emile Bouret’s praise for the Tesla Semi is any indication, it appears that the electric long-hauler would be able to impress even its staunchest critics when it comes to the way it drives and its overall performance. Tesla, after all, has noted that it is in the process of improving the truck before it enters mass production. Elon Musk has already teased that the long-range variant of the vehicle will have closer to 600 miles of range. Making the Telsa Semi impressive to drive is just more icing on the cake.
Elon Musk
Tesla doubles down on Robotaxi launch date, putting a big bet on its timeline
Tesla continues to double down on its June goal to launch the Robotaxi ride-hailing platform.
Tesla has doubled down on its potential launch date for the Robotaxi ride-hailing platform, which will utilize the Cybercab and other vehicles in its lineup to offer driverless rides in Austin, Texas.
Tesla said earlier this year that it was in talks with the City of Austin to launch its first Robotaxi rides, and it planned to launch the platform in June.
This has been a widely discussed timeline in the community, with some confident in the company’s ability to offer it based on the progress of the Full Self-Driving suite.
However, others are skeptical of it based on Tesla’s history of meeting timelines, especially regarding its rollout of FSD.
Nevertheless, Tesla was asked when it would be able to offer Robotaxi rides and where, and it clearly is not backing down from that June date:
In Austin, 🔜
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 18, 2025
It is getting to a point where Tesla is showing incredible confidence regarding the rollout of the Robotaxi in June. We have not seen this kind of reiteration regarding the rollout of something regarding autonomy from Tesla at any point in the past.
CEO Elon Musk has even been increasingly confident that Tesla will meet its target. Earlier this week, he said the vehicles will be able to roll off production lines and drive themselves straight to a customer’s house:
Elon Musk continues to push optimistic goal for Tesla Full Self-Driving
There could be some discussion of an acceptable grace period, as the timeline for the Robotaxi rollout could still be considered a success, even if it were a month or two late. However, if it were pushed back further into 2025 or even 2026, skepticism regarding these timelines would continue to persist.
As of right now, it seems Tesla is extremely confident it will meet its goal.
Among the several companies that have had the opportunity to add Tesla Semi all-electric Class 8 trucks to their fleets earlier than others, the most notable is arguably Frito-Lay, which has utilized the vehicle for a couple of years now.
However, as their fleet is making more local runs and there are undoubtedly plans to expand to more Semi units, the company has recognized it needs additional Megachargers to give juice to their trucks.
As a result, Frit-Lay decided to build more chargers at their Bakersfield, California facility, according to new permits filed by Tesla:
🚨 Frito-Lay is building an 8-stall Megacharger array at its factory in Bakersfield, California https://t.co/qARfJjogXF pic.twitter.com/gvorIVxsoc
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 18, 2025
There are already chargers at the company’s Modesto, California, factory, but Bakersfield is roughly three hours south of Modesto.
Interestingly, Tesla is calling the chargers “Semi Chargers” in the filing, potentially hinting that it is no longer referring to them as “Megachargers,” as they have been in the past. This is a relatively minor detail, but it is worth taking note of.
In 2022, Frito-Lay began installing these chargers in preparation for the Semi to become one of the company’s main logistics tools for deliveries in California and surrounding states.
Frito-Lay is not the only company that has chosen to utilize the Tesla Semi for these early “pilot” runs. PepsiCo has also been a company that has used the Semi very publicly over the past two years.
Additionally, the Tesla Semi participated in the Run on Less EV trucking study back in late 2023, where it managed to complete a 1,000-mile run in a single day:
Tesla Semi logs 1,000-mile day in Run on Less EV trucking study
Tesla is planning to ramp production of the Semi late this year. On the Q4 2024 Earnings Call, VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said the company would be focusing on the first builds of the Semi’s high-volume design late this year before ramping production in the early portion of 2026:
“We just closed out the Semi factory roof and walls last week in Reno, a schedule which is great with the weather. In Reno, you never know what’s going to happen. But we’re prepping for mechanical installation of all the equipment in the coming months. The first builds of the high-volume Semi design will come late this year in 2025 and begin ramping early in 2026.”
Tesla will build these units at a new Semi production facility located in Reno near its Gigafactory. The company is getting closer to finishing construction, as a drone video from this morning showed the facility is coming along at a good pace:
🚨Tesla Semi factory progress update: pic.twitter.com/dlzIjKwfT3
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 18, 2025
News
Tesla Cybercab no longer using chase vehicles in Giga Texas
Elon Musk expects Tesla to produce about 2 million Cybercab units per year.
The Tesla Cybercab is the company’s first vehicle that is designed solely for autonomous driving. And while the spacious two-seater is expected to start volume production in 2026, the vehicle’s development seems to be moving at a steady pace.
This was hinted at in recent images taken by a longtime Tesla watcher at the Giga Texas complex.
Tesla Cybercab Production
The Cybercab will likely be Tesla’s highest volume vehicle, with CEO Elon Musk stating during the company’s Q1 2025 All-Hands meeting that the robotaxi’s production line will resemble a high-speed consumer electronics line. Part of this is due to Tesla’s unboxed process, which should make the Cybercab easy to produce.
Elon Musk expects Tesla to produce about 2 million Cybercabs per year. And while the vehicle is expected to see volume production at Giga Texas next year, the CEO noted that the vehicle will be manufactured in more than one facility when it is fully ramped.
No More Chase Cars
While the Cybercab is not yet being produced, Tesla is evidently busy testing the vehicle’s fully autonomous driving system. This could be hinted at by the Cybercabs that have been spotted around the Giga Texas complex over the past months. Following last year’s We, Robot event, drone operators such as longtime Tesla watcher Joe Tegtmeyer have spotted Cybercabs being tested around the Giga Texas complex.
At the time, videos from Giga Texas showed that the driverless Cybercabs were always accompanied by a manually driven Model 3 validation chase car. This was understandable considering that the Giga Texas complex features pedestrians, other cars, and construction areas. As per the drone operator in a recent post on social media platform X, however, Tesla seems to have stopped using chase cars for its Cybercab tests a few weeks ago.
Aggressive Tints
The reasons behind this alleged update are up for speculation, though it would not be surprising if the Cybercab’s autonomous driving system could now safely navigate the Gigafactory Texas complex on its own. Interestingly enough, the Cybercabs that were recently photographed by the drone operator featured very aggressive tint, making it almost impossible to make out the interior of the robotaxi.
This is quite interesting as other Cybercabs that have been spotted around Giga Texas were only equipped with semi-dark tints. One such vehicle that was spotted in February was even speculated to be fitted with an apparent steering wheel.
Tesla doubles down on Robotaxi launch date, putting a big bet on its timeline
Tesla Semi fleet from Frito-Lay gets more charging at Bakersfield factory
Tesla Cybercab no longer using chase vehicles in Giga Texas
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