The drone footage of the upcoming factory was recorded by Tesla Semi advocate @HinrichsZane, who noted that he visited the facility in the afternoon of October 29, 2024. As could be seen in the Tesla Semi watcher’s video, a good portion of the upcoming facility’s roof has been installed, and work now seems to be underway to install roof insulation.

The construction area of the Tesla Semi factory was abuzz with activity when the electric truck enthusiast visited the site. A line of trucks could be seen in the area unloading insulation material for the Tesla Semi factory’s roof. In other areas of the facility, footings and columns have been installed as well.

Tesla Semi Factory – The Cranes Have Arrived! 10/29/2024
The cranes have finally arrived and are lifting an in-process delivery of roof insulation. These are medium-sized cranes which will save on CapEX. pic.twitter.com/yQ5AbVCeeO

— Zanegler (@HinrichsZane) October 30, 2024

While the Tesla Semi is yet to be ramped, CEO Elon Musk noted during the Q3 2024 earnings call that the upcoming all-electric Class 8 truck has “ridiculous” demand. This is due to the Semi’s low cost of ownership, which beats every other competitor in the market. Musk also noted that the Semi will feature a number of functions that simply make it better and safer than diesel long haulers. 

“It’d be a massive improvement in driver fatigue because — and driver safety. We’ve got sort of the anti-jack knifing software. You don’t have to worry about your brakes overheating if you go down a steep hill because we generating that energy goes back and into the pack. It’s just like — it’s like radically better than a diesel is what the drivers love it,” Musk said. 

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In a video update on Saturday, Tesla Semi advocate and Gigafactory Nevada drone observer Zanegler shared footage of the perimeter steel columns and beams as they now wrap around the factory’s Northeast corner. The video, taken mid-morning on Friday, also shows the perimeter having made it about halfway down the Eastern side of the factory, as they continue to head South.

Viewers can see a few loading bays built into the building’s perimeter, some of which will be used for the delivery of raw materials. The video also shows a lone Tesla Semi sitting beside the factory expansion site, and Zanegler says he has reason to believe that it was being used for a media shoot of some sort.

You can check out the full update from Zanegler below.

Tesla initially broke ground on the Semi plant at the Giga Nevada construction site in January, as part of a larger endeavor to build dedicated production facilities for the electric class 8 truck and the 4680 battery cell. Upon completion of the Semi factory and the 4680 battery cell factory, the two expansions are expected to employ roughly 6,500 additional full-time workers.

In addition, Tesla is also looking to scale Semi production to 50,000 units per year upon reaching volume production.

Currently, Tesla is aiming to begin production at the Semi plant late next year, before starting external customer deliveries in early 2026. However, Tesla has already delivered a handful of early units to a few select companies in recent years, starting with initial deliveries to PepsiCo in 2022. Now, PepsiCo has 86 Tesla Semi units in its fleet.

Since then, Tesla has also begun initial deliveries and testing periods with other clients such as DHL, Walmart, and Martin Brower, and the company has also doubled down on its efforts to eventually go global with the Semi. Last month, Tesla Semi Program Manager Dan Priestley showed off the Semi at the IAA conference in Münich, Germany, and Elon Musk earlier this month confirmed Tesla’s plans to make the Semi available around the world.

Tesla Semi has “ridiculous” demand, and it’s about to make roads cleaner

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“Fundamentally, if you’ve got a (Tesla) Semi, the fully considered cost per mile per ton of transport is better than a diesel truck. Any company that doesn’t adopt an electric Semi will lose. It’s not a subjective thing,” Musk said during the Q3 2024 earnings call.

Beyond the low operating costs of the Tesla Semi, however, the vehicle also features a bit benefit to the roads. As highlighted by the CEO during the Semi’s first delivery event, conventional semi trucks comprise just about 1% of the vehicles on the road, but they are responsible for 20% of the emissions. This means that the Semi could very well be the Tesla that could make the most difference when it comes to helping keep the air clean. 

These plots/pictures from the lockdowns in the fortold the future we will bring. You don't have to imagine if there were only zero emissions with every vehicle on the road. We saw what happened on these few days. It was real. Help us make it real every day. Buy a Tesla! pic.twitter.com/PDAP2U28OB

— Lars (@larsmoravy) October 25, 2024

This point was recently highlighted by Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy in a comment on social media platform X. In response to a post from Tesla’s official account, which noted that more EVs on the road means quieter cities and highways, Moravy noted that the lockdowns a few years ago showed that clean air in cities and highways is achievable.

Moravy also provided an update on the Tesla Semi, stating that the vehicle is coming en masse shortly. “Tesla Semi is coming in mass shortly and we made it so compelling, anyone who does not use it will be left behind! Tesla’s goal – make products people love – or in this case, heavy goods transportation companies,” Moravy wrote in his post. 

Absolutely – Tesla Semi is coming in mass shortly and we made it so compelling, anyone who does not use it will be left behind! Tesla's goal – make products people love – or in this case, heavy goods transportation companies

— Lars (@larsmoravy) October 25, 2024

While the Tesla Semi is still in its early production, the Class 8 all-electric truck is already being deployed by customers such as PepsiCo. Production of the Tesla Semi is likely to accelerate next year as well, as the company noted in its Q3 2024 Update Letter that “preparation of the Semi factory continues and remains on track with builds scheduled to start by the end of 2025.”

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Musk’s update came as a response to a video posted by the official Tesla Manufacturing account, which featured the Gigafactory Berlin team checking out the Semi. As per Tesla Semi program Senior Manager Dan Priestley in the video, the Giga Berlin team was very interested in the Semi. 

“I got a lot of really great questions. The team is super engaged, and I was really impressed with the overall eagerness and how much people want to see this on the road. It’s clear that there’s a huge amount of potential for the product from the market, but also an equal amount of enthusiasm here at Giga Berlin for the Semi,” Priestley noted. 

Tesla Semi will be available worldwide https://t.co/qo9504baST

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2024

In his response on X, CEO Elon Musk noted the “Tesla Semi will be available worldwide.” This bodes well for the all-electric Class 8 truck, as the vehicle actually has a lot of potential to make the world’s roads safer due to its tech and features and cleaner due to its all-electric nature. 

As highlighted by Elon Musk during the Semi’s first delivery event, conventional semi trucks comprise only about 1% of the vehicles on the road, but they account for 20% of the emissions. If the Tesla Semi proves successful, a positive change to the transportation sector’s emissions could be feasible. 

While the Tesla Semi is only in limited production today, the vehicle is still receiving very positive reviews from its first customers. These include PepsiCo, which currently has 86 Tesla Semi units in its fleet. As per PepsiCo Electrification Program Manager Dejan Antunović during the 2024 IAA Transportation expo in Hannover, Germany, 15 Semis are operating from the company’s Modesto depot; 21 Semis are operating from the Sacramento depot; and 50 Semis are operating from the company’s Fresno depot. 

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On its website, DHL has posted initial results from a two-week testing period with the Tesla Semi, in which it drove the electric Class 8 truck over 3,000 miles of its normal operating routes based in Livermore, California. Part of the trial included a 390-mile haul with the Semi fully loaded with a gross combined weight of 75,000 pounds, which the company says confirmed the electric vehicle’s (EV’s) ability to haul “typical DHL payloads over a long distance on a single charge.”

Impressively, DHL says that, for more than half the time the crew drove the Semi, it averaged 1.72 kWh per mile when operating at speeds exceeding 50 mph (80 km/h). As the company notes, this went way beyond DHL’s expectations as well as Tesla’s own rating for the Semi.

On its website, Tesla says the Semi can achieve a driving efficiency of “under 2 kWh” of energy consumption per mile with a total full-load range of 300 or 500 miles. The Semi also has a battery pack of around 900 kWh.

“Maximizing range and efficiency is crucial to proving that long-haul electric vehicles can perform equivalent work to diesel,” writes Graham Caroll, DHL’s Head of Business Development for semi-trucks. “We’re excited to see DHL confirm the benefits of the Semi’s advanced technology and driver-centric features in live commercial operations.”

Following the trial, DHL says it’s now evaluating how to integrate the Semis into its fleet when Tesla begins volume production of the Semi at an upcoming Gigafactory Nevada facility in 2026.

The trial also comes as the latest in a series of companies sharing early testing results for the Semi. The first company to get access to Tesla’s Semis was PepsiCo, and it’s currently operating the vehicles out of hubs in Modesto, Sacramento, and Fresno, California. PepsiCo’s early performance results with the Semi also showed promising efficiency results.

During the IAA trucking conference in Münich, Germany last month, Tesla Semi Engineering Head Dan Priestley also shared a few additional details about the Semi’s early fleet data. One of the highlights from his presentation was that the Semi pilot fleet so far has a 95-percent uptime including scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.

Additionally, Priestley said that more than 4.65 million miles have been driven since the Semi pilot programs began, while one single Semi unit alone has driven over 248,000 miles after just 18 months.

Tesla Semi sleeper section and large side storage teased in new video

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Tesla’s factories are quite remarkable to observe, thanks in part to the company’s use of innovative construction technologies that make the buildout faster and more efficient. This is perhaps one of the reasons why every Tesla factory tends to attract drone operators, many of whom have taken it upon themselves to share updates with the electric vehicle community regularly. 

This is true for the Tesla Semi factory, which has attracted its own advocate, @HinrichsZane, who has been consistently sharing updates about the facility’s progress on social media. But while most of the Tesla Semi advocate’s videos have been focused on the Class 8 all-electric truck’s production plant, a recent update has shown that Tesla is also busy ramping the production of the vehicle’s prototypes. 

38 Tesla Semi’s Parked Outside the Prototype Factory – These things are replicating themselves like a virus. I predict sometime in late 2026 they will become endemic in the US. Then they will spread to the rest of the world starting with Europe first. pic.twitter.com/JBHzoraufw

— Zanegler (@HinrichsZane) October 5, 2024

As could be seen in the Tesla watcher’s video, a total of 38 Tesla Semi units that looked ready for customer delivery were parked outside in the company’s existing prototype factory in recent days. While Tesla has not provided any details about the vehicles that were spotted outside the facility, speculations suggest that some of the trucks in the video might be allotted for PepsiCo. 

The snacks and beverage giant ordered 100 Tesla Semi units in 2017. As per comments from PepsiCo Electrification Program Manager Dejan Antunović during the 2024 IAA Transportation Expo in Hannover, Germany last month, Tesla has delivered a total of of 86 Tesla Semi units to the company so far–15 of which are operating from the Modesto depot, 21 of which are operating from the Sacramento depot, and 50 of which are operating from the Fresno depot.

Considering that 38 production Tesla Semi units were spotted in the drone operator’s recent video, there seems to be a pretty good chance that PepsiCo may soon have its entire order for the Class 8 all-electric truck fulfilled. Such a scenario would be quite a milestone for the Tesla Semi program, as it would allow the electric vehicle maker to start fulfilling vehicle orders from other customers. 

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A short video of the unique Tesla Semi engineering unit was shared online by electric vehicle advocate @HinrichsZane, who has been following the progress of the Class 8 all-electric truck for some time now. As per the EV enthusiast, the apparent Tesla Semi engineering unit was driving around on public roads when he spotted it. 

NEWS: @Tesla Semi spotted testing and ground truth calibrating for Full Self-Driving – A lot of great things can happen at an accelerated rate when you're no longer AI training compute constrained. $TSLApic.twitter.com/BBelwTWnjZ

— ALEX (@ajtourville) October 1, 2024

The sighting of the mysterious Tesla Semi engineering unit was received positively by members of the electric vehicle community, some of whom noted that the development of the Class 8 all-electric truck’s FSD system may accelerate due to the company’s investments in AI. With FSD, after all, the Tesla Semi could truly be a different breed of long-hauler—one that is significantly safer and more affordable to run than any other Class 8 truck on the road today. 

Interestingly enough, the Tesla AI team recently hinted at the Semi’s upcoming FSD rollout. Amidst the community’s excitement surrounding the release of FSD for the Cybertruck, some social media users inquired when the advanced driver-assist system would also be rolled out to the Tesla Semi. These inquiries were unsurprising as the Tesla AI team noted that with the all-electric pickup truck’s FSD, “the last fledgling leaves the nest.”

But wait, there’s more

— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 30, 2024

In response to one of these questions, the Tesla AI team simply stated, “But wait, there’s more.” Other responses from the team were interesting as well, with the Tesla AI team stating that it’s the “Season finale, not final season,” likely referring to the eventual rollout of FSD (Supervised) for the Tesla Semi. 

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The Tesla AI team has attracted a lot of recognition from the electric vehicle community this weekend, thanks in no small part to the successful initial rollout of the Cybertruck’s FSD (Supervised) system. Initial feedback from early access testers suggests that FSD (Supervised) works fairly well on the all-electric pickup truck. 

And just like that, the last fledgling leaves the nest

— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 30, 2024

Amidst updates from Cybertruck owners who promptly took FSD (Supervised) for a quick spin, the Tesla AI team posted a rather lighthearted reply stating, “And just like that, the last fledgling leaves the nest.” This response was quite interesting as the Tesla Semi is yet to receive FSD. 

But wait, there’s more

— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 30, 2024

It was then no surprise that some Tesla community members promptly asked about any potential updates to the Semi’s FSD (Supervised) system. In response to one of these questions, the Tesla AI team simply stated, “But wait, there’s more.” Other responses from the team were equally interesting, with the AI team also stating that it’s the “Season finale, not final season.” 

Season finale, not final season

— Tesla AI (@Tesla_AI) September 30, 2024

The recent comments of the Tesla AI team were received quite positively by the electric vehicle community, many of whom noted that FSD (Supervised) on the Tesla Semi would be game-changing for fleet operators. FSD, after all, tends to be a cautious driver that follows the rules of the road, so using the system on delivery routes would likely make operations safer and more predictable. 

Others also pointed out that Tesla’s upcoming Robotaxi unveiling event this October 10, 2024 is quite literally dubbed “We, Robot.” The name, if any, may suggest that more than one FSD-powered product could be showcased– or at least announced or discussed–at the Robotaxi unveiling event. 

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In an update this week from Zanegler, a Giga Nevada observer and self-proclaimed Tesla Semi advocate, footage from the site shows tons of recent progress, including action shots of truss rods going up on the now-many steel beams at the site, and the various footings that will reportedly utilize a huge volume of concrete.

Zanegler calls the site a “concrete jungle,” saying that each of the larger footings highlighted in the video will use 55 yards of concrete, while the footings together will use 20,000 yards total. Across the entirety of the project, he says, one million yards of concrete will be laid upon completion.

As some have pointed out, it’s not entirely clear if he means cubic yards of concrete, but it seems pretty clear that the facility will utilize a substantial volume of the material no matter what.

Along with picturing the future of concrete at the site, the video features a few shots of what Zanegler calls a BZI Telehandler as it moves horizontal truss rods onto the vertical steel beams. The steel beams first began arriving at the site early last month, and there’s already been a significant amount of progress made on the upcoming facility since then.

In a follow-up post, Zanegler also shared a close-up photo of a concrete truck preparing to start pouring into one of the footings, which can be seen below beneath a couple of stills from the video.

Credit: Zanegler | YouTube

Credit: Zanegler | YouTube

Credit: Zanegler | X

RELATED:

Tesla Semi fleet real-world observations shared by PepsiCo

Tesla first broke ground on the Giga Nevada Semi expansion in January, and the company is aiming to begin production in the second half of 2025. Initial customer deliveries are anticipated for early 2026, though Tesla has already delivered its early units to customers including PepsiCo, Costco, Martin Brower, and Walmart, among others.

Additionally, Tesla has been ramping up production of the Semi at Giga Nevada’s initial production facility, with at least 50 units recently being spotted on site.

Earlier this month, Tesla Semi program Senior Manager Dan Priestley visited the upcoming Semi factory construction site, going on to share a photo of a few Semi units at the facility. Tesla has also been teasing plans for the Semi in Europe, as the company recently displayed one unit at the IAA convention in Munich, Germany.

You can watch the full Semi factory construction update as posted on Zanegler’s YouTube channel on Saturday below.

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Tesla has flexed the low cost of ownership, improved safety, better range, and performance, which are just a few ways the Semi is arguably the best commercial vehicle available.

Although it is still going through its pilot program stages, we have learned more about the Semi than ever before with presentations from the Engineering Head for the Semi program, Dan Priestley.

So far, we have learned:

• The Semi will ramp to 50,000 units of annual production at the new production facility near Gigafactory Nevada
• Tesla plans to develop new configurations of the Semi so they can be used for different applications and be available at different prices
• Efficiency is working at 100 kWh per 100 kilometers traveled

PepsiCo., which has been the Semi’s main contributor during the pilot program, also talked about the various things they have recognized since using around 90 units over the past year and a half.

Tesla Semi fleet real-world observations shared by PepsiCo

Many PepsiCo. drivers who have been able to use the Tesla Semi do not believe it is worth going back to a traditional diesel vehicle.

Musk commented on the advantages of the Semi over its diesel counterparts:

Compared to diesel, Tesla Semi trucks have a lot more acceleration, uphill power and computer-controlled safety features like jackknifing protection, so both more fun and safer to drive https://t.co/eBNuj18Kvp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2024

The Semi has the potential to be the most disruptive and potentially groundbreaking product, other than the Robotaxi, in Tesla’s entire lineup.

The company has already managed to completely disrupt the passenger vehicle sector, but transforming the commercial industry would be groundbreaking considering the safety, efficiency, and emissions improvements that come from the use of a vehicle without tailpipes over the lifespan of the truck.

Typically, a semi truck lasts around 750,000 miles. Traveling around 45,000 miles per year on average, most lifespans last around 15 years, according to Rechtien International.

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