Tesla’s Semi Is Finally Hitting The Road. The Timing Couldn’t Be Worse

Elon Musk’s long-delayed “beast” goes into production as federal support for EVs withers and rising power costs complicate his claims it will be cheaper to run than the diesel rigs he wants to replace.[](https://bertie.forbes.com/#/compose?id=6982a3aca7e9ca14904d29d6) Read more: [https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2026/02/05/teslas-semi-is-finally-hitting-the-road-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse/?utm\_campaign=forbes&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2026/02/05/teslas-semi-is-finally-hitting-the-road-the-timing-couldnt-be-worse/?utm_campaign=forbes&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit)

'Is supposed to go into production in 6 months' feels the same as next year^TM ...

Sure, let's make the Tesla Death Traps even more powerful.

Saw one randomly the other day while biking in West Oakland. Was tempted to ask the driver if they're as trash as the reports say they are.

Meanwhile european truck makers have been selling electric semis for years now. [Mercedes](https://www.mercedes-benz-trucks.com/int/en/trucks/eactros.html) [MAN](https://www.man.eu/global/en/truck/electric-trucks/overview.html) [Scania](https://www.scania.com/group/en/home/products-and-services/trucks/battery-electric-truck.html) [DAF](https://www.daf.global/en-us/trucks/new-generation-daf-electric) [Renault](https://www.renault-trucks.com/en/electromobility) [Volvo](https://www.volvotrucks.com/en-en/trucks/electric.html)

I forgot about those things.

Wow that's an ugly looking truck lol

Let me tell you about the cyber truck...

I'm not minimizing the ugliness of the dumpstertruck This is also very ugly, though

Oh lol suuuuuure, I am sure they are gonna make toooooooons

I've checked your first link. Its higher payload variant is 25 tons, while Tesla semi is 40. So meanwhile European truck makers were producing small trucks which is nice, but is completely unrelated to large trucks like Tesla semi

All over America in like two weeks lol

Made with no steering wheel and no pedals. What could go wrong?

Yeah but those are functional.

So did all the actual companies buying trucks.

Driving one must be so ackward because its a one seater, you also can't have another person in the truck

The dude is constantly pregnant but almost never gives birth. 🙄

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These were somewhat common in California, I would see them daily around Fremont and Frito-Lay was using them for some short haul business. I don't think there are more than a handful.

Are they a car company or are they not a car company?

Next year, latest!

Wait, how does that work?! Edit - Looks up interior - What the hell?! I mean, I guess it makes some sense since these aren't meant for long haul trucking. Still seems goofy as hell. I'd have figured Tesla would have just plastered them with Camera for driver awareness.

"Next year" is just short hand for all of Musk's timelines which have ranged anywhere from 2 weeks , to 5 months, to 1 year, to 2 years in the original semi claim and original autonomous cars claims, and I think in the worst case 3 years when it came to the next gen Roadster at the original 2017 unveiling. Mostly it's about autonomy claims, because since 2016 Musk has been claiming 1 year or less. The million robotaxi claim in 2019 was initially 1.25 years, but has since been 1 year or less. Geezus I know way too much about this company... 😭

I live in SoCal and don't believe I have ever seen one. I can believe you when you say 'short haul' because that's probably the only place they make literally any sense at all (still not a good idea, more like minimizing the bad ideas.

These things are gonna be awesome delivering Roadsters to the dealerships.

I love how more expensive electricity because of AI is going to sink the semi truck.

Years ago when he introduced these things he said they would be more cost efficient than rail. Do you think he may have exaggerating a little bit?

Haven't seen those reports. Trash to drive or trash because they break down?

Timing could be worse, you'll see.

I'm a huge proponent of electrifying our trucking industry. In terms of transportation based emissions, it's one of the highest sources of emissions, and could be the most efficient use of battery cell supply in terms of pound for pound reduction in emissions. That said... these trucks were supposed to be available in 2019, are rumored to be far more expensive than they were claimed they'd be, and are being heavily subsidized by taxpayers. It's strange to me that no one ever thinks to ask Musk or Tesla directly why this program has been constantly delayed. These trucks were supposed to be in mass production by the end of 2019. Over 6 years ago. Further, will they be able to drive autonomously, in convoy, at a cheaper price than trains using a bunch of solar powered chargers, as Musk claimed in 2017? Remember that companies often don't simply use subsidies to provide products while barely maintaining profitability. They often use subsidies to massively boost their profitability. If Musk should be known for anything, it should be his relentless pursuit of government subsidies to enrich himself.

Except for the cupholders, I hear the entire trucking industry is "doing it wrong".

They also aren't designed for frequent drop trucking where the drivers have to hand out / grab paperwork from security gates....

A bit of both along with having low range with heavy loads. The one company that got them only used them to move potato chips like Doritos lol. Also sitting in the middle with no roll down windows is seen as a huge negative for truckers that often have to hand over or receive paperwork when they reach the gate. On top of that some of the suspension parts are for regular pickup trucks, reportedly. Silly stuff like that.

[It will happen soon! Soon! Anytime now!](https://youtu.be/NhpvmqrXe1w?si=uMbk1BIaF89T63_u)

Some of the biggest complaints are about the cockpit design where the driver is centered instead of being on the left side. There are a bunch of other issues but I don't care enough about semis to remember. Also as per usual Elmo over promises and under delivers on things like range and price.

More Tesla junk. What could go wrong.

Steve Forbes was still alive when Elmo announced it.

People are still waiting for your Tesla to make money for you after taking you to work.

I'm sure they will be hitting a lot of things.

"The mother of stupid is always pregnant."

No, you misheard it. He isn't saying "next year". He's saying "never."

WTF! The windows don't open? Are Tesla engineers true morons or are they just doing what the head moron tells them?

The cockpit is just another excuse to cut costs so they don't have to make separate versions for lefthand and righthand drive.

Or door handles.

Well time is money too and having to sit and charge one of these will be expensive factoring that in.

Let's see what they look like rotting away next to the CyberToasters. I'm sure SpaceX could use a couple thousand of them.

Have you considered not taking him at his word, and not publishing headlines that simply assume what he is saying is true How many times must someone blatantly tell the same lies, before headline editors are willing to acknowledge it

\> It's strange to me that no one ever thinks to ask Musk or Tesla directly why this program has been constantly delayed. These trucks were supposed to be in mass production by the end of 2019. Over 6 years ago. Because they are all just stage props for the ponzi scheme. They aren't intended to do anything but pump up the stock.

Something they never could have possibly considered in their business case was that \~87% of people go to and from the office during the same hours the car is driving you to work so the exact hours your car would be viable as robotaxi is the same time you needed it for your commute. The rest of the day, it'd just be idle or racking up miles to far flung places trying to pick up a fare that Tesla doesn't want.

The chances of them selling in any RHD territory is approximately 0.0001%. They are struggling to even sell cars in those territories. Admittedly when first launched Tesla was a global brand - not so much now.

Smart, obedient people.

Did it not hit the road years ago?

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> So meanwhile European truck makers were producing small trucks which is nice, but is completely unrelated to large trucks like Tesla semi If only you looked at more than one link in your rush to try and defend Tesla...

Maybe check the rest of the links... Full range of all sizes are available.

Back in the day Musk or some asshat at Tesla bet that batteries would keep improving (exponentially) and their energy density would double and costs would halve making the semi viable by 2019 or something

Same as it ever was…

I don't doubt that but I still figure that was their rationale in the design, other than maybe just trying to appear "different" for its own sake like the abomination that is the CyberToaster.

Meanwhile, at work, we have a half semi truck coming everyday for delivery, 100% electric.

I cant wait for Transport trucks to finally start transitioning to EV. It will take a long time but I will love to see the growing EV trucks on the road.

The UK is currently Tesla's largest European market.

Psychiatrist: The 128oz "Team Gulp" isn't real, it can't hurt you. 7/11: bet

So, a 25% jump 8n TSLA stock, for yet another useless piece of unwanted garbage?

First these are real tonne, not the lighter US ton. Second, if you look at the others you would see that they offer 44 tonne options. With Scania offering a 74 tonne option.

The real question is are they going to use the rockets from the roadsters on the SpaceX ships or are they gonna use the SpaceX rockets on the roadsters?

They probably use Estes rockets.

Musk's 2017 claim is directly against his stated claims of trying to save the world. Trucks lead to vastly higher non exhaust pollutants than trains, mean we need to repair our roads exponentially more (either an exponent of 2 or 4 in proportion to axle load depending on the source). Require battery cells to be transported as well as the shipment. Have a difficult to determine range. Everything musk does seems to be anti train. There's plenty wrong with him, and that's one of them Last mile, great we should have electric, we don't need semis for that mostly.

Musk's claims about saving the environment were always pretty clearly lies. He simply jumped on the bandwagon when he realized environmentalists would buy his vehicles, and that governments would subsidize anything that reduced emissions to hit their emissions reduction goals. Sure, he's anti-train, but we do have about 3 million class-8 semi trucks in use in the US that need to be replaced as quickly as possible.

Is it a truck, really though?

Uhhh... No All of those (and more) make functional class 8 semis including the US market. I've driven class 8 EV semis from Volvo and Peterbilt here in the US (I've been in but not driven the Tesla). Also driven multiple class 3-7 players in the market.

Yeah but can you play games on their console?

I feel like I read this exact same headline every 6 months

Tesla specializes in silly stuff.

Hey, Musk is a super genius but you can’t expect him to reliably predict when such a product will actually be manufactured. Cmon, be fair!

I don’t think he knows that butt plugs are supposed to be removed after use and not just shoved up there to make room for the others. See his shirtless pic for proof.

Mother of God. That's a new one on me...

It's the good news the heavy towing industry has been waiting for for years.

And sales in the UK have dropped 57%. I beleive that meets the definition of 'struggling".

"But do they have doors that open...LIKE THIS?"

They do open, sort of - vent style. The problem is that the driver has to get out of the seat to hand over paperwork etc.

You click on “Variants” and then the truck with the highest number and you see 44 tons. I hope the Tesla truck doesn’t have only 40 tons. Under EU rules trucks get an 4 tons to compensate the higher battery weight so they and up with the same payload. A 40 ton truck would be a hard sell.

With a service network. Companies like to know where they can go when they need servicing.

Musk said he isn’t interested to build manually piloted vehicles anymore. Would you order a truck form a dude might shut it all down next earnings call? Seems like a huge risk.

I have a friend who works with ergonomics and usability at Scania. They do a lot of testing and research around the needs of truck drivers, the chair, the chair position, screens, controls, ladders, storage. They need to support all the other tasks truck drivers have to do, handle documents and inspections, passing toll stations and weighing stations. There needs to be room for mandatory standard equipment like communication systems and tachographs. But Tesla plonked the driver's seat in the middle of the cabin, slapped two screens down on either side, aaaaaaaaand we're done! Yeah, that'll be popular with drivers. And trucking companies.

If the Semi hit the road anywhere near when they said it would hit the road then the timing would’ve been perfect.

Meanwhile, this video was shot last summer of three different EV trucks doing a trip from Southern Germany to Gothenburg in Sweden, crossing a couple of borders, using a bunch of different charging networks in different countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODd4wpl946k But yeah, sure, let's wait for Tesla to deliver the future...

You could excuse Tesla being slow for dealing with unforeseen challenges, doing something no-one has ever done before. Except for the fact that the competition apparently has no problem developing and selling EV trucks for all your needs. You can buy EV trucks, today, from a number of manufacturers. There are EV truck charging stations and networks, today, from a number of charging networks. Tesla is a decade behind, while pretending they're leading the pack.

He confuses the words "month" and "year" a lot. So probably 6 years till it's ready for real production. This year they might make a few, but it will be another 'test run' or something.

They open, it's just that Tesla thought it was a good idea to put the seat in the *middle* of the cab. So you can't just hand things out of the window, or even rest your arm out the window if you want. Stupid at face value, but *doubly* stupid when you realize that truckers literally live in their trucks, and ergonomics of the space is super important. They are there all day, every day, it's their office.

STOP POSTING FORBES LINKS

Dude not a single roadster has been built. So in that case "never year" means more like 9 years and counting.

Good point! The cybertruck has the BEST karaoke system of any pick-up. My guess is the same will be true for the Tesla Semi -- the best of all trucks in its class. People get all hung up on driving and economics and range (etc. etc.) without considering the value as an entertainment center.

It's a fairly popular folk saying in Romania, the word for word translation is: "The mother of idiots is always pregnant". It's a sort of equivalent to "there's a sucker born every minute".

It's so important to them that they strung along Model S Plaid deposit holders for years before finally turning around and shipping them LHD cars with a grabby stick as compensation 🤣🤣🤣

Tesla UK are back to their old tricks of quarter end "delivery dumps", I think Jan and Feb will be dire - will March make up for it? Personally I doubt it as BYD, Xpeng etc. are picking up a lot of the people coming off 3/4 year Tesla leases taken out in 2022/2023.

No no, THIS TIME it’s true, I swear to God! I

They’re already pushing Roadster III reveal. It’s insane

Elon sucks but the Semi seems pretty cool. imo, probably Tesla's last good idea, which was announced almost a decade ago and still hasn't gone into production. If Tesla just got rid of Musk, they'd have a large line up of cars, which today is now only 3 (3,Y,CT)

Not the dumbest idea if it weren't for needing access at the window. I suppose if they allowed the seat to shift, it would work. I will say, 99% of truckers I see are alone. So the passenger seat does seem largely pointless most of the time

I personally think electric semis are a good idea. Not sure about this Tesla one, but overall they would be great for greater regional areas between cities to reduce noise and smog. I live in a smaller town about 45 minutes north of Austin and it's a major through area for truckers heading to the greater Austin-San Antonio metro area. It's loud AF outside at the intersection in town due to the huge semis coming through. Not to mention smells like diesel in the morning and afternoon Rivian has been pushing out further with their last mile delivery vans. Those make a lot of sense as well for similar reasons, but also just operational costs

They weren't completely wrong. Energy density has gone up while prices have gone down, not exponentially tho

I think electric should be used more than last mile. Transport between and in cities would be excellent for electric semis to reduce noise and smog. They will struggle across the country, but diesel is fine for those applications out in the middle of nowhere. Transport from California to Texas via diesel to some warehouse, then use electric semis for regional distribution and electric vans etc for last mile.

I would really like to see Rivian's take on a semi. Everything I've heard about their last mile vehicles is superb. Tesla seems to be trying too hard to be cool and innovative rather than rugged and practical, in this case.

Sadly a lot of Brits aren't bothered about fascism.

My comment wasn't in defense of Musk. It was just adding more specificity. Musk is a pathological liar, proven by his relentless over promising of vaporware and timelines.

IDK, how long does it take to 'refuel' the 990KWh batteries? 15 minutes tops for a diesel truck. OTOH lots of time to go to the wash room at a Tesla station. Oh wait, they don't have them. Pretty sure these station need lots of room for the long trucks passing through. Expensive road side real estate near other amenities, as is the way with development. I guess prices would have to be adjusted for this sort of factor. The graphic illustrating the locations of the charging stations shows me they are not very interested in the cold weather places. I wonder why that is? It doesn't look like they quite understand where trucks actually go. Could be a 'me' thing but last I recall these trucks went to the non served areas for minor pesky things like grains, root vegetables, potash, beef, pork and other meats. Just saying that there could a disconnect.

Meanwhile building a hybrid semi would actually be useful

So do truckers

I mean the truck has to be functional first, like the cybertruck the semi won't be used by actual trucking companies just meme companies gobbling Elon

And don't forget those solar powered Tesla Hyperchargers up and down all the Interstates to power them quickly and cheaply.

> next gen Roadster at the original 2017 unveiling. It really is a fantastic scam. People can still preorder it for $50,000. At launch, 8 years ago, 1000 people preordered some special version for $250,000. So Tesla got 250 million USD in just the $250k preorders. Tesla have sat on that $250k preorder for 8 years, completely interest free. People have cancelled their $50k preorder after waiting for years, but even then Tesla keeps $5k lol

Next year… every year, for ten years. Just like ‘the price will be X and the range will be Y’ turns into ‘the price is 2X and the range is .5Y’

... and the parts may fly off at any time due to poor glue choice 🤣

Now thats an understatement. Its gonna be hitting other cars, poles, pedestrians and stadiums as well

That’s what happens when your lead designer is an autistic ass to which the concept of “ask the customer what they want” is beneath them because they think everything they do is better than creating the Model T.

Which is an even bigger problem since he’s also suggesting the new roadster will fly. Maybe it’ll just fly apart into pieces and reassemble itself at its destination. Forget roads or tunnels or even rockets… he’s building a teleportation roadster 😂

E trucks are built to be charged while the driver has to take his mandatory break. Their charging time and range are accordingly.

I believe they call that data acquisition at SpaceX

Water flowing underground ~

It still seems odd. You could at least place the seat near the left door, so exit and entry is easier, it the focus is last-mile. Looking at the Amazon-designed trucks, you can see how they thought a ton about many small details in how it was going to be used. The Cyber Truck doesn’t seem to be designed like that.

I guess all the stations are 10 hours or less apart then.

Yeah it was in 2016 that musk told us all his cars from then onwards were equipped with the hardware and the software would be 1-2 years away and you would be able to get from home to work without pressing a pedal or touching the steering wheel. And since then it’s always been a year away. It will be ready next year I’m sure of it. Unsupervised FSD for HW2 cars, can’t wait!

They've obviated the need for overly complicated service networks by simply not planning for any service

yeah how is the truck driver going to interact with toll boxes, guard shacks etc lol. so stupid.

I bought those.

My prediction in terms of revenue: Flat, no net change for Tesla’s revenue. Why? The Semi will at the very best fill the upcoming revenue gap from the S and X - a few thousand car units less (than the S and X sold combined) - but with a much higher ASP, obviously. Tesla now says $250k up to around $300k per truck (depending on battery size). So, no overall change - since Tesla will retire the S and X by H2 2026 (just as the Semi may finally go on sale). Summary: No growth or revenue booster for Tesla. It merely replaces the void left by the S/X revenue vanishing.

the 2019 Tesla Semi coming soon

Nicely done 😂