Just recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the Tesla Semi has been able to complete a 500-mile trip while weighing in at 81,000 pounds. The announcement was received with much excitement from the electric vehicle community, though questions still remained about the unladen weight of the Semi without its trailer and cargo.
As noted in a post from JD Power, the unladen weight of a conventional semi truck without a trailer can vary between 10,000 and 25,000 pounds. Considering that a typical 53-foot trailer weighs about 10,000 pounds, conventional semi trucks usually have a total unladen weight of about 35,000 pounds when hooked up to an empty trailer.
Following Musk’s announcement on Twitter, images of the Tesla Semi seemingly taken near the vehicle’s production facility in Nevada emerged online. One of these images showed a production Tesla Semi pulling a trailer loaded with 11 Jersey barriers. Tesla enthusiasts have speculated that the Semi loaded with the Jersey barriers was likely the vehicle that accomplished the 500-mile feat.
As noted by Paul Lackey, an engineer at the electric drive company EVDrive and the person behind Twitter’s “Nikola Insider” whistleblower account, Jersey barriers typically weigh about 4,000 pounds each. If these estimates are accurate, it would suggest that the Semi was pulling a load of about 44,000 pounds during its 500-mile trip. If one were to consider the weight of the empty 53-foot trailer and Musk’s 81,000-pound total weight comment, it would suggest that the Tesla Semi weighs about 27,000 pounds on its own.
If these estimates are somewhat accurate and the Semi does weigh around 27,000 pounds by itself, it would unsurprisingly be heavier than its ICE-powered counterparts, but not by much. Compared to a diesel-powered tractor trailer that weighs about 20,000 pounds, the Semi would end up carrying about 7,000 pounds less cargo. The Semi, however, has better performance and less maintenance than its conventional rivals in the trucking market.
The Tesla Semi’s weight has been a point of criticism for the vehicle, with skeptics such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates previously noting that all-electric Class 8 trucks are not practical because they would be far too heavy. But while Class 8 all-electric trucks like the Semi are indeed equipped with very heavy batteries, they also do not have massive, heavy diesel engines and large transmissions. The absence of these components, as well as Tesla’s constant innovation with its electric motors and batteries, appears to have made the Semi’s weight quite competitive in the trucking market.
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Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
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Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
