Tesla's highly anticipated Semi truck was supposed to electrify the freight industry — but growing delays and price hikes are leaving customers frustrated and competitors catching up fast.
What's happening?
Tesla first announced the Semi, its all-electric Class 8 truck, in 2017. After multiple production delays, the company delivered a handful of trucks to PepsiCo in late 2022.
But mass production still hasn't taken off, and recent updates from partners like Ryder point to further slowdowns and cost increases. Tesla has raised the price of the truck to $415,000 — a jump that makes it far less competitive with traditional diesel models, as Coaches Database observed.
"The first builds of the high-volume Semi design will come late this year in 2025 and begin ramping early in 2026," Travis Axelrod, Tesla's head of investor relations, said in a January investor call, per FreightWaves.
Customers are also expressing doubts about the Semi's real-world performance and long-range capabilities. Per Coaches Database, Tesla is advertising a 500-mile battery range, but the lack of widespread mega charging stations has raised concerns about how effective the truck will be for long-haul freight.
These issues come as legacy manufacturers like Volvo and Freightliner roll out electric truck options with lower upfront costs or lease-based models, giving logistics companies more affordable ways to electrify their fleets.
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Why is this concerning?
This delay doesn't just affect trucking companies — it's a setback for clean transportation.
Heavy-duty trucks are a major source of pollution, and switching to electric trucks has the potential to dramatically cut harmful planet-warming gas emissions and reduce air pollution in communities near highways and freight corridors.
But when electric trucks like the Tesla Semi become more expensive and less accessible, it discourages companies from transitioning away from diesel. That slows progress toward cleaner air, healthier neighborhoods, and reduced heat-trapping pollution.
What's more, Tesla's pricing update and inconsistent delivery track record mirror previous issues with its Model 3 and Cybertruck launches, where delays and missed targets caused frustration among early buyers and raised doubts about the company's ability to scale.
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What's being done about it?
Federal programs like the Inflation Reduction Act and EPA grants are helping fund electric trucks and expand charging networks. While funding for certain projects is on pause as it is reviewed by the Trump administration, states like California are mandating more zero-emission truck sales and expanding their charging sites, with others joining the Multi-State ZEV initiative to electrify freight by 2030.