Tesla Semi production finally begins

Tesla officially launched high-volume production of its electric Semi truck at a livestreamed event in Sparks, Nevada on Thursday, nearly a decade after the concept debuted in late two thousand seventeen.

Long-range Semi travels five hundred miles

The long-range version of the Semi will travel an estimated five hundred miles per charge, around the average number of miles traveled by US long-haul truckers each day. The standard version gets an estimated three hundred twenty five miles per charge.

Musk calls it a sports car in truck form

In a pre-taped video, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Semi would be a driver's truck, describing it as like a sports car in truck form. Musk skipped the event to attend a White House China State Dinner with President Xi Jinping.

“It's going to be, really, a driver's truck. It's like a sports car in truck form.”

Electric trucks face charging and cost barriers

Electric semis cost two to three times more upfront than diesel trucks and require specialized megawatt chargers. Tesla currently operates two public chargers in the LA area but plans to open thirty by year end. US diesel prices hit record highs this month.

Major shippers order two thousand five hundred Semis

An alliance of shippers including Microsoft and PepsiCo placed a record-setting order for two thousand five hundred Tesla Semis, to be delivered starting this year through the next eighteen months. If delivered, they would nearly double heavy-duty electric trucks on US roads.

Full Self-Driving feature delayed for Semi

Full Self-Driving Supervised, Tesla's driver assistance feature, will not yet be available on the Semi, though Musk said it would debut in the very near future. Enhanced Autopilot was promised during the initial two thousand seventeen rollout.