Elon Musk announced on X that Tesla will begin mass production of the Semi Class 8 electric truck in 2026 at a dedicated factory near Gigafactory Nevada, following nearly a decade of delays since its 2017 unveiling due to battery constraints and prioritization of passenger vehicles.
The Tesla Semi first appeared in November 2017, when Musk promised production would start in 2019. That timeline extended because of battery supply limitations and Tesla’s emphasis on passenger car output. By December 2022, Tesla unveiled a version labeled as the production model and handed over initial units to PepsiCo. Volume manufacturing did not follow. Tesla operated a low-volume pilot instead, supplying a few dozen trucks to partners for evaluation. Freightwaves reports approximately 200 Semi trucks delivered to customers including PepsiCo since the soft launch.
Tesla specified during its Q3 2025 earnings call that production shifted to 2026, with initial assembly in the first half of the year and volume ramp-up in the second half. The dedicated Nevada factory, adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada, targets annual output of up to 50,000 units at full capacity. Construction at the site advanced over recent months leading to Musk’s announcement.
The Semi carries a 500-mile range on one charge. Tesla advanced supporting infrastructure through a January 2025 partnership with Pilot Company. This agreement deploys Semi Megachargers at about 20 sites in California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. These use V4 technology to supply up to 1.2 megawatts per stall, restoring 70 percent of range within 30 minutes.
DHL Supply Chain received its first Tesla Semi in 2025 after completing a pilot in California. That truck achieved 1.72 kWh per mile efficiency while transporting 75,000 pounds across a 390-mile route. DHL intends to grow its Semi fleet alongside Tesla’s production increase.
Musk’s update aligns with Tesla’s expanded investments in multiple areas. The company projects capital expenditures over $20 billion in 2026 to support an advanced lithium refinery in Texas, LFP battery factories, Optimus humanoid robot production, and AI computing infrastructure. CFO Vaibhav Taneja stated during a recent earnings call, “We’ll be paying for six factories namely: the [lithium] refinery, LFP factories, Cybercab, Semi, a new Megafactory, the Optimus factory.”
Tesla’s energy division reached record levels in 2025 by shipping 46.7 GWh of energy storage products that year. The firm noted potential margin compression in 2026 from rising competition and tariff effects.
Tesla Semi will be in volume production next year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2025
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