Tesla aims to produce 100 Tesla Semi electric trucks this year

Tesla is aiming to produce about 100 Tesla Semi electric trucks this year, which is a bit higher than what was anticipated.

After five years of waiting, Tesla is now finally in early production with the Tesla Semi electric truck.

Electrek exclusively reported that Tesla was building a production line for the Tesla Semi in a new building near Gigafactory Nevada. At the time, we were told that the production equipment installed would be for about five electric trucks per week.

That would be only 250 trucks per year, but Tesla always planned to move to higher volume production at Gigafactory Texas.

Last month, the automaker disclosed that it is aiming to ramp up Tesla Semi production to 50,000 units per year in 2024.

However, we didn’t know much about the ramp-up between now and then.

Today, we get a new piece of data, and it is interestingly coming from the trial over Elon Musk’s CEO compensation plan at Tesla.

Robin Denholm, chair of Tesla’s board, was testifying today for the trial and she released the information that Tesla was aiming for 100 Tesla Semi trucks this year (via WSJ):

Tesla, for example, might produce 100 semitrailer trucks this year, Ms. Denholm said, years behind schedule. 

Tesla is going to be holding a delivery event for the Tesla Semi on December 1, but the electric truck has been in production since early October.

Electrek’s Take

Considering the vehicle has been in production since early October, it is possible that Tesla has been building electric trucks for the last two months, and it will show up at the delivery event with already a few dozen trucks.

Nonetheless, 100 Tesla Semi trucks by the end of the year would be higher than expected and would set the vehicle program up for a decent year in 2023, leading up for its goal of a capacity for 50,000 trucks in 2024.

If Tesla delivers more than 40 Tesla Semi by the end of the year, I would be pleasantly surprised.