Tesla Semi factory targets 50,000 lorries annually

Tesla plans to produce 50,000 vehicles annually

Nearly nine years after Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Semi in November 2017, the company has opened a new factory near Reno, Nevada, and is scaling output towards 50,000 lorries a year.

Tesla Semi factory beside Gigafactory Nevada

Volume production has already begun at the new Tesla Semi plant. Its competitive advantage is not the facility itself, but its location. By placing the site directly next to Gigafactory Nevada in Sparks, Tesla has closed a supply-chain loop that had delayed the Semi programme for years. The Semi factory sits beside the battery-production plant, and this vertical integration is what makes annual production of 50,000 lorries a realistic target rather than an ambitious one.

Tesla Semi 2026 upgrades and Megacharger network

The production-specification Tesla Semi 2026 model has received major improvements over the original, including a 450 kg weight reduction, enhanced aerodynamics and support for 1.2 MW Megacharger charging. This can replenish around 60% of the driving range in roughly 30 minutes during the driver’s mandatory rest break.

Tesla intends to open 37 Megacharger stations by the end of 2026, rising to 66 across 15 states by early 2027. Construction at the country’s largest network of lorry filling stations is due to start in the first half of this year.

Total cost of ownership

Musk described the Semi’s economics as straightforward. “Semi is the obvious choice from a total cost of ownership perspective,” he said, adding that total ownership costs are “much, much cheaper than any other mode of transportation”.

Priced at under $300,000, the lorry costs around twice as much as a comparable diesel vehicle. However, California’s $200,000 subsidy for each vehicle has resulted in more than 1,000 orders from the state.

Images of the interior of the production Tesla Semi lorry have previously emerged.