Tesla says it has started high-volume production of the Semi Class 8 electric truck at its dedicated 1.7-million-square-foot facility near Gigafactory Nevada. The announcement was made by the official Tesla Semi account on X, and was shared by CEO Elon Musk on his personal page.
“First Semi off high volume line,” reads the April 29 post, which includes a photo showing a white Tesla Semi rolling off the production line with hundreds of workers standing in front of it. Tesla did not reveal the exact date when production started.
Two Versions With Up to 500 Miles of Range
First Semi off high volume line pic.twitter.com/fI1AdQrJFH
— Tesla Semi (@tesla_semi) April 29, 2026
The Semi was first shown almost nine years ago and has undergone significant changes since, with the most significant being introduced in November 2025, when the electric truck also received a facelift. We also learned more recently that the final production version of the Semi has shed 1,000 pounds of weight compared to the pre-production model.
The start of high-volume production is a big milestone for the Tesla Semi, of which only a few hundred units have been made since October 2023 on a low-volume pilot line in Nevada; over 100 of those trucks were on the road as of late 2025. A significant portion of them were used for internal testing and in pilot programs by partner companies including PepsiCo, Walmart, and DHL.
But now a new chapter opens for the Tesla Semi program, which has been delayed numerous times since the planned initial production start date of 2019. It looks as though Elon Musk’s latest estimate that Semi production would start this year has been correct.
Tesla revealed the final production specs of the Tesla Semi in February, when it confirmed two variants: a Standard Range model with standard wheelbase and 325 miles of range at the full 82,000-pound gross combination weight, and a Long Range model with a longer wheelbase and 500 miles of range.
The size of the Semi’s structural battery pack has not been disclosed yet, but judging by the official energy consumption of 1.7 kWh/mile, the 500-mile Semi probably has a capacity of around 900 kWh. The battery is also designed to last 1 million miles in its original duty cycle.
Both Tesla Semi trims feature an 800-kW (1,072-hp) tri-motor powertrain with three independent motors on the rear axles. The battery pack is said to support peak charging speeds of 1.2 MW (1,200 kW), which enables it to reach 60% state of charge (SoC) in just 30 minutes using Tesla’s Megacharger stations.
The Lowest-Priced Class 8 Electric Tractor in the U.S.
Tesla
Tesla hasn’t revealed pricing yet, but according to Electrek, the 500-mile Tesla Semi is priced at $290,000, while the base model costs roughly $260,000. If the prices are accurate, the Tesla Semi is the lowest-priced Class 8 battery electric tractor available in the United States.
The main competitors include the Freightliner eCascadia and Volvo VNR Electric, which reportedly cost around $400,000 and $350,000, respectively. The Nikola Tre BEV was supposed to be another competitor for the Semi, but the EV startup filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2025.
Tesla
Now that high-volume production has begun, Tesla will have to ramp gradually to the factory’s maximum output of 50,000 trucks a year. Some analysts project 5,000-15,000 Tesla Semi deliveries this year, but that sounds overly ambitious at this point.
Tesla does have the advantage of vertical integration, as the Semi’s two available battery packs use the 4680 battery cells, which are manufactured in the same site. Normally, that should eliminate supply issues and ensure a smooth production ramp for the Semi. Deliveries to customers are expected to start this year.
Tesla
