Tesla finally rolls out the Semi after years of delays

The Reno facility, situated next to Tesla’s original Gigafactory, is designed to eventually produce 50,000 trucks annually, with plans to add 3,000 local jobs. While the final price remains undisclosed, the company estimates the top-tier version will cost just under $300,000 before incentives and offer a 500-mile range on a single charge while fully loaded.

Tesla’s engineering team used the event to address past criticisms, including the shift from a bespoke, complex axle design to a more efficient system and the replacement of non-opening windows with standard roll-down versions. These refinements follow years of skepticism from industry analysts and high-profile critics like Bill Gates, who previously questioned the viability of battery-powered long-haul trucking. Dan Priestly, head of the Semi program, highlighted the vehicle's efficiency, noting that heavy trucks account for 16% of emissions despite representing only 1% of the total vehicle population. While CEO Elon Musk did not attend the live event, he appeared in a pre-recorded segment promising that future iterations will eventually incorporate Tesla’s signature automation features.