Tesla Prepares for Semi Trucks Mass Production

Image: Tesla

The Semi program has received a major boost, with employee expansion and preparations for mass production later this year, Robotaxi testing has begun, and Tesla Autopilot is 10x safer than a human driver. Welcome to the weekly news roundup with Jowua.

Tesla Updates Semi Program Details

Tesla has revealed more details about its Semi truck fleet at the ACT Expo in Los Angeles. The company has confirmed that it will begin mass production in late 2025. This will take place at its new factory in Reno, Nevada, which will have a production capacity of 50,000 Semis annually. The first customer deliveries will begin next year. So far, Tesla has accumulated more than 7.9 million miles in its test fleet of electric trucks, which includes 26 vehicles.

The company also said that Semi will be equipped with a 25-kilowatt electric Power Take-Off system that can power auxiliary devices such as refrigeration units, hydraulic systems, and more. To support the fleet of electric trucks, Tesla continues to expand its charging infrastructure, aiming to open 46 new sites.

Tesla Semi Program Opens Wide Recruitment 

As Tesla ramps up its Semi program, it has opened a recruitment drive. The company has posted about 100 job openings related to the program on its website. They range from engineering to manufacturing positions and are posted across different Tesla facilities. According to a report from Business Insider, the company plans to hire about 1,000 new employees specifically for the Semi program.

Tesla Autopilot Is 10 Times Safer than a Human Driver

Tesla has released its Q1 2025 Vehicle Safety Report, which showed that its cars using Autopilot are 10 times less likely to crash than the national average. Notably, Tesla cars not using Autopilot are more than twice as safe as the US average.

The company reported one crash for every 7.44 million miles driven using Autopilot technology. Additionally, there was one crash for every 1.51 million miles for Tesla cars not using Autopilot. By comparison, the US average was one crash per 702,000 miles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Robotaxi Testing Begins

Tesla announced via X that its service based on Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology is now operational in Texas. The service has already logged more than 1,500 rides and 15,000 miles on the road. The X post includes a video showing the Robotaxi app in action in the updated Model 3. Riders can control the ride from a touchscreen in the back, but the FSD is supervised by the driver. The supervised ride-hailing service has launched with its first cohort of employees in Austin and is set to "develop & validate FSD networks, the mobile app, vehicle allocation, mission control & remote assistance operations."