Tesla is dramatically accelerating its Semi truck ambitions, hiring more than a thousand new factory workers in Nevada as the company races to fulfill years of production promises for its electric big rig, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The carmaker has brought the new workers into the Giga Sparks factory for training and tours over the past few months. Until recently, the company had fewer than a hundred factory workers assigned to the truck, including at its pilot line in California, two people said.
The increase in hiring coincides with Tesla opening an extension at the Nevada Gigafactory purely for Semi production.
On its website, Tesla lists more than 80 manufacturing roles for the development of the Semi, from test and service technician roles to engineering and quality assurance positions.
A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
The company released a video update on Monday saying that it had finished building the factory and was beginning to set up production lines.
Elon Musk first unveiled the Tesla Semi in 2017 and estimated that the truck would go into mass production in 2019. Tesla delivered its first Semi in December 2022 to PepsiCo, which placed an order for 100 trucks back in 2017. Musk said at the time that production would reach 50,000 units in 2024. UPS, Walmart, and Costco have also placed orders for the truck.
More recently, in 2023, Tesla announced it would build a designated Semi truck factory in Nevada. The company said during its recent earnings call on April 22 that it would begin production in the facility by the end of the year, with mass production set to kick off in 2026.
The facility has been delayed several times. Musk has repeatedly cited battery supply chain constraints as an issue. The massive EV battery for the Tesla Semi is made up of tens of thousands of individual battery cells.
The truck represents a mammoth effort for Tesla. The Semi has a range of up to 500 miles without a charge, which is nearly double the range of other electric semitrucks on the market and in development. Musk has said the truck will one day be able to operate as an autonomous vehicle.
Tesla has said it can reach 70% of its full range in about 30 minutes at one of Tesla’s Megachargers, a high-powered EV charger designed to replace a truck stop by providing a rapid turnaround charge for electric semitrucks.
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