Tesla Semi volume production will not begin until late 2024, according to CEO Elon Musk. Previously, Tesla tentatively expected 50,000 units to be built in 2024, but now it appears production will not begin until late next year.
Musk said at a conference in Austin yesterday, according to the Wall Street Journal, that volume production would not begin until the end of 2024, a slight deviation from past plans that would see 50,000 units built in 2024.
Musk said during the Q3 2022 Earnings Call late last year that Semi production would be ramped up through 2023, with volume production beginning in 2024 and 50,000 units built that year.
“We’ll be ramping up Semi production through next year. As I think everyone knows at this point, it takes about a year to ramp up production. So, we expect to see significant — we’re tentatively aiming for 50,000 units in 2024 for Tesla Semi in North America. And obviously, we’ll expand beyond North America. And these would sell — I don’t want to say the exact prices, but they’re much more than a passenger vehicle,” Musk said.
Musk cited battery constraints as the issue holding up Semi production, but Tesla is also in the process of expanding its Nevada production facility to support the manufacturing of the truck.
The $3.6 billion project will support battery and electric semi-truck manufacturing.
Tesla is boosting production of its vehicles by opening new manufacturing plants, including one in Mexico, that is likely to break ground before the end of the year.
However, numerous companies have orders for the Semi, including Walmart, Anheuser-Busch, UPS, DHL, and others. Delaying the volume production may push back their initial delivery date, the trucks will eventually lead to more sustainable commercial fleets for companies like PepsiCo., which has accepted the first units of the Semi.
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