Tesla has only just started production of its electric Semi truck at Giga Nevada, but the company hopes to shift production to Giga Texas in the near future with the goal of building up to 50,000 units in 2024.
If that goal is achieved it should make Tesla one of the largest class 8 truck manufacturers in North America.
The Tesla Semi was first revealed in 2017, and after several delays it was announced it was going to be built at the company’s newest factory, Giga Texas. That hasn’t happened yet, but Tesla has instead set up a temporary production line at a new building just up the road from Giga Nevada.
According to reports earlier this year that facility could produce up to five Semis per week, which extrapolated out equates to around only 250 trucks per year. Tesla however has much higher hopes for its class 8 electric truck.
During the company’s Q3 2022 earnings call yesterday CEO Elon Musk said Tesla is aiming to produce up to 50,000 units in 2024. Of note, Musk explained this figure was just for North America, hinting that production for other markets could also be in play at that time.
It takes about a year to ramp up production. So, we’re tentatively aiming for 50,000 units in 2024 for Tesla Semi in North America, and obviously, we’ll expand beyond North America.
Your first reaction might be that 50,000 units does not seem like a lot when Tesla as of late has been delivering multiples of that in a single quarter, but it is a figure that would make Tesla one of the largest, if not the largest class 8 truck manufacturers and sellers in North America.
Currently the world’s top selling class 8 truck manufacturer is Freightliner, which sold 38,315 trucks in North America in 2021. Next was Peterbilt which sold 32,810 trucks last year, followed by Kenworth with 32,201 sold, according to data from TheTrucker.com.
During the call Musk also confirmed the first Tesla Semi trucks built will be using their original 2170 cells, and not the new 4680 cells that are for now being reserved for Model Y production at Giga Texas.
