Tesla plans its first high-volume semi-truck manufacturing unit

Tesla will construct an EV semi truck manufacturing unit in Nevada, a part of a greater than $3.6 billion funding by the corporate to develop its manufacturing footprint within the state, it introduced Tuesday.

The EV maker additionally introduced plans to construct a plant to provide 4680 battery cells. Tesla says the cell manufacturing unit will produce sufficient batteries to energy 1.5 million light-duty automobiles a 12 months. It didn’t present an estimate for what number of Semi automobiles its “high-volume” truck manufacturing unit would produce annually. 

Tesla’s EV semi vans, one in all its newer ventures, have made headlines in latest months because the EV firm made its first supply of the automobiles to PepsiCo at an occasion in December. The beverage firm first ordered Tesla EV semis in 2017 and plans to roll out 100 of the vans this 12 months, PepsiCo VP Mike O’Connell advised Reuters final month.

The investments add to Tesla’s current footprint in Nevada, the place its 5.4 million-square-foot gigafactory started producing battery cells in 2017. Since launching the gigafactory venture in 2014, the corporate has spent $6.2 billion in Nevada, using greater than 10,000 folks, in keeping with a 2022 Tesla financial and monetary affect evaluation.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo applauded the enlargement in his state of the state speech on Monday.

“Whether or not it’s closing the lithium loop, unlocking innovation and funding in logistics, leisure, science and know-how, or embracing entrepreneurship, the message is, that Nevada is able to accomplice,” Lombardo stated. “I’m trying ahead to becoming a member of Elon Musk and the group at Tesla tomorrow after they unveil plans to construct a model new … superior manufacturing facility in northern Nevada for the corporate’s all-electric semi-trucks.”