Tesla finally moves to electrify trucking after a decade of work and delays

Tesla finally delivered its first all-electric Semi truck to customers after nearly a decade of delays and improvements to the vehicle, which the company first introduced in 2017. The unveiling took place at an event in Reno, Nevada on Thursday night, where executives showcased various details of the truck. Although CEO Elon Musk was absent, attending a different event, he was present in spirit through a pre-taped video message.

The truck will be manufactured at a new factory adjacent to Tesla's Reno Gigafactory, with production capacity of up to 50,000 trucks per year, or about 1,000 per week. The most powerful version of the Semi is expected to travel over 500 miles on a single charge, with a price tag just under $300,000 before incentives. Shorter-range variants will also be available.

Tesla's Semi program head, Dan Priestly, emphasized the significance of the truck in reducing emissions, as heavy trucks account for 16% of emissions despite making up only 1% of vehicles on the road. The company made several modifications to the Semi, including reducing its weight by around 1,000 pounds compared to its original design and switching from three different oils to just one.

The company also addressed issues with the side windows, which were initially pop-out windows that did not fully open, by introducing standard roll-down windows. Despite the delays, Tesla's Semi program manager, Lars Moravy, expressed satisfaction with the truck's performance, stating that it is now capable of traveling 500 miles on a fully loaded trip.

During the event, Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, teased the truck's potential, claiming it would be "the funnest truck to drive" and promised that Tesla's partial automation features would be added in the near future.