Tesla Semi electric truck production prototype spotted ahead of launch

A brand-new Tesla Semi prototype has been spotted between Tesla’s Fremont factory and Gigafactory Nevada ahead of the start of production.

Tesla Semi

When unveiling Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker said that the electric truck would be available in 2019.

After a few delays, Tesla talked about “low-volume production in late 2020,” but the timeline was later pushed to 2021.

Last summer, CEO Elon Musk told employees in an email obtained by Electrek that “it’s time to bring Tesla Semi to volume production” without updating the timeline.

The CEO later said that the Tesla Semi would be produced at Gigafactory Texas in Austin.

Recently, we have also seen indications that Tesla is gearing up to have some production of the Tesla Semi at Gigafactory Nevada.

During Tesla’s earnings report last week, Musk said that Tesla Semi is ready for production, but the automaker can’t achieve volume production until Tesla ramps up 4680 battery cell production.

The automaker originally said that the production versions of Tesla Semi, which are class 8 trucks with 80,000-lb. capacities, would have 300-mile and 500-mile range options for $150,000 and $180,000, respectively.

However, Musk said that they found opportunities to extend that range during testing.

More recently, the CEO said that the Tesla Semi production version will have closer to 600 miles of range.

New Tesla Semi prototype

We have only seen two prototypes of the Tesla Semi over the last three years, but now Tesla has produced a new one.

The prototype was spotted by Twitter user The Kilowatts being transported in Sacramento:

The new vehicle looks very similar to the original two prototypes, but it appears to show some slight design refinements.

It could be a beta prototype or even a release candidate.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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