Just a few days ago, during a conference call held after the publication of Tesla’s financial results for the fourth quarter of 2020, Elon Musk confirmed that production of the expected electric Semi truck would begin this year in low numbers. The CEO explained manufacturing in mass would be delayed until 2022 due to the current cell shortage.
The investor Sawyer Merritt, a well-known enthusiast of the brand, has now expanded this information to publish a series of tweets. He echoes some of the latest rumors regarding the project. Sawyer cites as their source a Tesla supplier involved in producing the Model S, Model X, Model 3, and Model Y, which began work on the Semi as early as the fourth quarter of 2020.
The truck’s body will appear to be built in Fremont. However, final assembly will occur in Giga Nevada (during the early stages of the vehicle’s commercial life) and later in Giga Austin (when the factory is fully operational). However, this last point is not yet confirmed.
Initially, the Release Candidate series will be manufactured in May 2021, while pilot production will begin in July 2021. Serial production will start in August 2021, although only the version with a day cab will make vehicle manufacturing as straightforward as possible.
By the end of August 2021, there should already be 350 units rolling, while the manufacturing rate will gradually increase until reaching 100 units per week by the end of 2021. The goal is to get around 500 units per week by the end of 2022; Besides, a variant with a cabin with a sleeping room will be introduced in between.
In 2021, Tesla will produce 2,500 units of the Semi, while in 2022, it will reach 10,000. In 2023, the year in which the truck will begin to be exported to Europe, a rate of 25,000 units per year will be reached, which will remain in 2024. However, the achievement of these objectives will depend on Tesla’s ability to mass-produce 4680 cells.