Tesla chief executive Elon Musk wants the car manufacturer to get the long-awaited Tesla Semi ready for volume production.
With shares in Tesla continuing to reach new heights and recently exceeding the $1,000 mark for the first time, Musk sent out an email to employees stating, “It’s time to go all out and bring the Tesla Semi to volume production.”
Read Also: Tesla Semi Truck Deliveries Now Delayed Until 2021
“It’s been in limited production so far, which has allowed us to improve many aspects of the design,” Musk added. “Production of the battery and powertrain would take place at Giga Nevada, with most of the other work probably occurring in other states.”
— Donny Dolittle (@DolittleDonny) June 10, 2020
There is quite a lot to unpack here. While Musk wants to bring the Semi to “volume production,” he did confirm in April that deliveries have been delayed until 2021.
Then there is the issue of where the Tesla Semi will be built. Although we now know where the battery and powertrain will be manufactured, Musk offered his employees no indication as to where the vehicle will be assembled. It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California will handle production but Musk recently said he would move the automaker out of California following a recent dispute with local authorities in Alameda County.
The Tesla Semi was first presented in November 2017 and the automaker was planning to kick off customer deliveries in 2019. That date was eventually pushed back to 2020 but we won’t be seeing the Semi in the hands of customers this year either.
