Week 16 Update: Delayed Car Launches, Solar Supercharger Enhancements, AI-Driven Advertising, Questions on Robo-Taxis Rollout
In the world of electric vehicles, Tesla continues to push boundaries with its upcoming releases, the Semi and Cybertruck. However, recent developments suggest that both vehicles are facing production hurdles, albeit remaining active in their respective plans.
The Tesla Semi is making steady progress, with final testing underway for an improved range. Elon Musk, Tesla's CEO, confirmed that production tooling is being installed at the Gigafactory Nevada, setting the stage for series production in the fourth quarter of 2025. A full-rate ramp is expected in 2026, indicating that the Semi's production plans are on schedule.
Infrastructure like Megachargers is being deployed to support the Semi, ensuring it has the necessary charging facilities to meet demand. Despite competitive pressure from other electric truck manufacturers who have already launched products, Tesla seems confident in its Semi's potential.
On the other hand, the Cybertruck's production story is slightly different. Despite establishing a capacity for 250,000 units per year, actual sales and production are significantly below expectations, operating at less than 10% capacity. Tesla has reportedly scaled back production at Gigafactory Texas to avoid excess inventory buildup, with around 3,000 Cybertrucks currently in U.S. inventory.
Sales in 2025 have dropped sharply to about 5,000 units quarterly, signalling challenges in market demand or supply that Tesla must address. It is worth noting that these issues may be linked to supply chain constraints, including potential tariffs on components imported from China, although direct mentions are not explicitly detailed in the search results.
Meanwhile, Tesla is reportedly forgoing the import of certain components from China due to the expected cost increase. This decision could potentially impact the Cybertruck's production schedule, although specific delays have not been confirmed.
Elsewhere, Tesla is making strides in other areas. The company has posted photos of a modern data center, believed to be part of the Dojo project, and asked for quiet as the machines were learning. The smaller Dojo project, located in the less known Tesla Gigafactory in the state of New York, aims to develop specialized chips and systems for training artificial intelligence.
Moreover, Tesla managers are said to have forecast limited sales potential for autonomous electric vehicles and modest earnings. Despite this, Elon Musk continues to promote autonomous driving and robots as crucial for Tesla, with nearly autonomous driving with the FSD software being promoted and set to be deployed unsupervised in the Texas city of Austin starting in June.
In California, a new Supercharger station is making progress, equipped with photovoltaics and batteries. Initially connected to the power grid with 1.5 megawatts, the station can generate up to 11 megawatts and store 39 megawatt-hours of electricity through additional technology. The station will have 168 charging pillars, 11 megawatts of solar power, and 10 Megapack modules for energy storage.
Despite the challenges faced by the Cybertruck and Semi, Tesla appears to be pressing on with the Semi's launch next year while managing Cybertruck production carefully amid weak sales. The cheaper Model Y, initially expected in the third quarter, may now not be released until early 2026.
[1] https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-semi-production-2025-2026/ [2] https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-cybertruck-production-sales-2025/ [3] https://www.tesla.com/news/cybertruck-production-update [4] https://www.tesla.com/news/semi-production-update
- Tesla's Semi is currently undergoing final testing for an improved range, with production scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
- The electric truck market is competitive, with other manufacturers already launching products, but Tesla remains confident in the potential of its Semi.
- On the other hand, the production and sales of Tesla's Cybertruck are below expectations, operating at less than 10% of its potential capacity.
- Despite facing challenges in market demand or supply, Tesla continues to work on infrastructure like Megachargers to support the Semi.
- Meanwhile, Tesla is also investing in technology for artificial intelligence through the Dojo project and is aiming to deploy nearly autonomous driving with the FSD software in the Texas city of Austin starting in June.
