That’s why Tesla suspends production of light trucks

Tesla has suspended production of its Class 8, or so-called “Tesla Simi” trucks, due to the lack of a technical solution to the “Tesla 4680” battery, which it manufactures in-house at its experimental plant. of “Vermont”, California.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on a call discussing company profits that the production volume of its Class 8 truck is on hold until Tesla can produce a large volume of its battery cells. .

The cells, designed by Tesla and announced at Battery Day’s Shareholders’ Conference in September 2020, are large tableless lithium-ion cells that will be used in trucks slated for delivery by the end of 2021.

Musk expressed his regret, saying, “Prototypes are easy and increasing production is very difficult,” according to “CNBC”, and seen by “Al Arabiya.net”.

When Tesla first revealed its “Semi” trucks in 2017, Musk said it would be delivered to customers in 2019. In April of last year, the company announced it would delay production until this year.

Tesla has secured dozens of bookings from global Van Semi customers, such as Bosch, DHL, PepsiCo, Woolomart and Pride Group.

Musk explained, “The main reason we’re not ramping up new products is that we just don’t have enough cells for it, and that has to do with producing a large Tesla 4680 battery.”

Tesla Motor Corporation chairman Jerome Gilin said the Tesla Simi truck uses the same parts as the company’s sedans and SUVs today to activate driver assistance features, which Tesla markets as options for autonomous driving.

According to the CEO, the Semi would require five times the number of lithium-ion battery cells the car would use today, but the company couldn’t sell it at five times its current price.

The demand for vans and other light trucks in the United States is expected to increase in the coming years. One of the reasons is Biden’s America buy-back plan, in which it aims to replace the federal government’s internal combustion engine fleet with cleaner, quieter electricity.

According to the most recent data available from the Public Services Agency, the federal fleet includes more than 400,000 trucks, a category that includes vans and light trucks.