Tesla Semi electric truck spotted coming back from winter testing ahead of production

A Tesla Semi electric truck prototype was spotted coming back from winter testing in Alaska ahead of the start of production.

Back in January, Tesla gave Tesla Semi reservation holders an update on its test program, improvements, and the timeline for the electric truck.

It included plans to start the Tesla Semi winter testing program soon:

“In the short term, the is gearing up for several weeks of winter testing to validate the trucks’s performance in cold weather and low traction conditions. We are excited to share insights from the winter with you, as we will be able to highlight the major advantages of electric traction and motor control, which no diesel powertrain can match.”

A month later, a Tesla Semi prototype was spotted on a truck driving up in Canada – presumably going to Tesla’s winter testing facility in Alaska.

Now a Tesla Semi prototype was spotted coming back down from Alaska:

Credit to u/bagel330 for getting this picture of a Tesla Semi after a presumably hard days work.
byu/TheSneakinSpider inteslamotors

The truck carrying the Tesla Semi reportedly had Alaska plates, which would confirm that it was at the winter testing grounds.

A truck driver who live-streams his drives spotted the prototype in Oregon driving down toward California yesterday:

Watch Life of an American truck driver / !state : California / Sacramento, California -> Portland, Oregon / !apt / !load / !truck from EvilEtho on www.twitch.tv

In the past, CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla has found opportunities to extend that range during testing, and he said that the Tesla Semi production version will have closer to 600 miles of range.

Actual production specs are expected to be announced soon as Tesla is getting closer to the start of production.

When unveiling Tesla Semi in 2017, Tesla started guiding the start of production in 2019, but it delayed the production of the electric truck to 2020.

Later, Tesla added that it is planning Tesla Semi electric truck production to start “with limited volumes” in 2020.

The electric truck still doesn’t have a confirmed factory, but we recently reported that Tesla has a giant new building next to Gigafactory Nevada and it might be used for Tesla Semi production.