Elon Musk Confirms Cybertruck And Semi Delayed Yet Again As Development Hits A Snag
Tesla Semi Delayed Until 2022, Putting It 3 Years Behind Schedule
Let's tackle the Semi first, as it was first announced in late 2017. Now, Tesla says that the Semi is being delayed until 2022. When first announced, Tesla noted that the Semi would enter production in 2019, which was probably overly optimistic for a company that delays its launches more often than not. A 2022 launch -- if Tesla can meet that mark -- would put it at least three years behind schedule.
According to the company, the primary reason for the delay is a lack of sufficient 4680 battery cells that will power the Semi.
"We have successfully validated performance and lifetime of our 4680 cells produced at our Kato facility in California," Tesla announced yesterday while reporting its Q2 2021 earnings [PDF]. "We are nearing the end of manufacturing validation at Kato. While substantial progress has been made, we still have work ahead of us before we can achieve volume production."
This news direct from Tesla stands in stark contrast to a report from last week that alleged that production Semis would roll off the assembly line at a rate of 5 per week in late 2021. Perhaps those early vehicles will be part of a pilot program leading up to next year's full production ramp.
The Tesla Semi will be available in 300- and 500-mile range versions priced at $150,000 and $180,000, respectively. They will also recharge via what Tesla calls a Megacharger network, which of course, will provide much greater sustained output than the consumer-grade Supercharger network.
Tesla Cybertruck Also Delayed
The Cybertruck was first announced in 2019 as Tesla's full-on frontal assault against full-size pickups like the Ford F-150 and the Chevrolet Silverado. Tesla CEO Elon Musk initially said that the Cybertruck would enter volume production in late 2021, but that isn't happening.
The Cybertruck will be built at Tesla's still-in-progress Gigafactory Austin location, but it is prioritizing the hot-selling Model Y. "We are also making progress on the industrialization of Cybertruck, which is currently planned for Austin production subsequent to Model Y," said Tesla. So now, like the Semi, Cybertruck volume is also being pushed to next year.
"The Cybertruck is currently in its alpha stages," said Lars Moravy, who serves as Tesla's Vice President of Vehicle Engineering. "We are moving into the beta phases of Cybertruck later this year, and we'll be looking to ramp that into production in Giga Texas after Model Y is up and going [in Austin]."
The Cybertruck will start at $39,990, while high-end models with triple electric motors are priced from $69,990. The truck will be capable of traveling up to 500 miles per charge and have a maximum towing capacity of 10,000+ pounds.
Interestingly enough, the Cybertruck will likely end up entering production well after the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Rivian R1T.
