Elon Musk has provided a new update on the progress of the Tesla Semi. In an early morning tweet Musk said the automaker has seen strong demand for the electric truck, but an adequate supply of battery cells continues to hamper production.
Musk provided the update in response to the news of Tesla receiving a new government-supported order of 10 Semi’s and two Megachargers by MHX Leasing in California.
Despite the seemingly bad news in this tweet, there are several positives to take out of it.
The first is that demand is strong for the Tesla Semi. This should come as no surprise as company’s are ordering them by the hundreds. In Canada Walmart has ordered 130 units, while Pride Group Enterprises is set to receive 150 and has the option to increase that to 500.
Secondly, Musk’s tweet says nothing about not being able to produce Semi trucks in 2020. Over the last several months there have been several strong indications production could begin in limited quantities as early as this summer.
Finally, the limitation around adequate battery supply to increase Semi production is only temporary. The Semi is expected to come with Tesla’s latest 4680 battery cells which the company is only just beginning to produce at its facility on Kato Road.
With both Panasonic and LG waiting in the wings to help increase production, it appears Musk is feeling optimistic about full-scale Semi production next year.
