Tesla has proceeded to assemble the pilot batch of its Semi trailer trucks in Nevada, as evidenced by a recent spy video. The car shown has no ‘Test Vehicle’ stickers, suggesting it could be road-worthy.
At the same time, insiders are reporting that mass production of the Semi will not begin until two years later or so. By all indications, the automaker could be working on a limited batch of electric trucks for PepsiCo, which promised to put the first Semis on the road before the end of 2021. PepsiCo ordered 100 units, but we are told that it should receive around 15 units this year to test them out on public roads before anyone else.
It was announced last summer that Tesla had nearly everything ready for production and intended to launch the assembly lines at five trucks per week before the end of 2021. As is now obvious, that target was not met. InsideEVs believes the issues were caused by vendors failing to supply the carmaker with sufficient quantities of next-generation battery cells. A fully loaded Semi is marketed as having up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) of range, so the traction battery has to be adequate.