Tesla semi plant update

[Michael Cole]

Tesla Semi factory expansion gets its first full exterior corner

Construction on Tesla’s Semi factory is coming together fairly quickly, with a recent video update showing the site after getting its first full corner made up of steel beams and columns. In a video update on Saturday, Tesla Semi advocate and Gigafactory Nevada drone observer Zanegler shared...

www.teslarati.com

I was getting skeptical of this plant even being built. Musk announced it in early 2023, and ground wasn't broken until January of this year. I still wasn't convinced with the groundbreaking, but construction is moving along fairly well. I would have expected more progress after nearly a year, but at least the plant is being built.



I'm curious as to how Musk plans on selling these electric semis. Tesla was counting on the tightening of emissions standards to sell trucks, but with Trump saying he'll roll back Biden's emission standards, I have my doubts.

Musk has invested $3.6b on the expansion. Will this be money well spent or a failure?

 

[Airyaman]

Tesla Semi factory expansion gets its first full exterior corner

Construction on Tesla’s Semi factory is coming together fairly quickly, with a recent video update showing the site after getting its first full corner made up of steel beams and columns. In a video update on Saturday, Tesla Semi advocate and Gigafactory Nevada drone observer Zanegler shared...

www.teslarati.com

I was getting skeptical of this plant even being built. Musk announced it in early 2023, and ground wasn't broken until January of this year. I still wasn't convinced with the groundbreaking, but construction is moving along fairly well. I would have expected more progress after nearly a year, but at least the plant is being built.



I'm curious as to how Musk plans on selling these electric semis. Tesla was counting on the tightening of emissions standards to sell trucks, but with Trump saying he'll roll back Biden's emission standards, I have my doubts.

Musk has invested $3.6b on the expansion. Will this be money well spent or a failure?

Musk currently has Trump's ear. Trump might try to assist him in this endeavor as well as many others. Depends on how well they get along going forward.

 

[Michael Cole]

Musk currently has Trump's ear. Trump might try to assist him in this endeavor as well as many others.

Perhaps. If there's anything in it for Trump, I'd agree.

Depends on how well they get along going forward.

I was thinking the exact same thing. If Musk plays his cards right, he may talk Trump into leaving the emissions standards alone. I'm just not seeing those two getting along as time goes by. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Hari Seldon]

Tesla Semi factory expansion gets its first full exterior corner

Construction on Tesla’s Semi factory is coming together fairly quickly, with a recent video update showing the site after getting its first full corner made up of steel beams and columns. In a video update on Saturday, Tesla Semi advocate and Gigafactory Nevada drone observer Zanegler shared...

www.teslarati.com

I was getting skeptical of this plant even being built. Musk announced it in early 2023, and ground wasn't broken until January of this year. I still wasn't convinced with the groundbreaking, but construction is moving along fairly well. I would have expected more progress after nearly a year, but at least the plant is being built.



I'm curious as to how Musk plans on selling these electric semis. Tesla was counting on the tightening of emissions standards to sell trucks, but with Trump saying he'll roll back Biden's emission standards, I have my doubts.

Musk has invested $3.6b on the expansion. Will this be money well spent or a failure?

A Tesla crashed in Westchester the other day. Went up in flames, 2 dead. I'll pass.

 

[dmpi]

Give credit to Musk. He's willing to think out of the box, risk billions and build giant complex high-tech factories in semi-remote areas.

 

[Helix]

Perhaps regressives will buy them.

 

[KingLeo]

Thanks in large part to the $100 million Tesla received in federal grants and millions more in state tax incentives.

 

[j brown's body]

Musk currently has Trump's ear. Trump might try to assist him in this endeavor as well as many others. Depends on how well they get along going forward.

If Trump can benefit somehow from it, its surely a go.

 

[Michael Cole]

Thanks in large part to the $100 million Tesla received in federal grants and millions more in state tax incentives.

Tesla received $330m in tax abatements for this expansion.

GOED Board Approves Tesla Abatement | Governor's Office of Economic Development

goed.nv.gov

This is in addition to the $1.25b they received for the original plant.

 

[Airyaman]

If Trump can benefit somehow from it, its surely a go.

I wouldn't put it past Trump to make some kind of deal where if not him personally then Eric or Don Jr. get a slice of the pie.

 

[Michael Cole]

Give credit to Musk. He's willing to think out of the box, risk billions and build giant complex high-tech factories in semi-remote areas.

Eh, the industrial center is about 15 minutes from both Sparks and Fernley, so it's not very remote. Traffic is horrible at rush hour. The park is in Storey County which has a population of 4,000, and 20,000 people work at the center. Tesla's first abatements ended this year, and the county is finally getting the funds it needs.

 

[Lisa]

Perhaps regressives will buy them.

Truck fleets arent going too buy them because between the time of recharging and the higher costs they just arent economically viable. Hybrid class 7/8 trucks already exist.

Kenworth already has their own all-electric truck. Id trust PACCAR over Tesla 100%. https://www.kenworth.com/trucks/t680e/

 

[Michael Cole]

Truck fleets arent going too buy them because between the time of recharging and the higher costs they just arent economically viable. Hybrid class 7/8 trucks already exist.

Kenworth already has their own all-electric truck. Id trust PACCAR over Tesla 100%. https://www.kenworth.com/trucks/t680e/

The Kenworth has a range of 150 miles. The Tesla "long haul" model gets 500. Costs are supposed to be less than diesel.

Tesla Semi replaces diesel trucks with lower operating costs, fleet driven 7.5M km, 1700 km in 24 hours is possible, Dan Priestly at IAA - Tesla Oracle

Head of Tesla Semi program Dan Priestly presents the electric truck at IAA Transportation in Hanover, Germany. Graphs, info, and Tesla (TSLA) plans of bringing the Semi to Europe.

www.teslaoracle.com

PepsiCo has been driving a fleet for a couple years and they seem to be satisfied.

Pepsi Confirms Over 450 Miles of Range for Tesla Semi and Less than 1.7 KWH per Mile | NextBigFuture.com

Pepsi is deploying Tesla Semis at its Sacramento, CA location in long-haul applications with heavy loads. Trip distances are up to 450 miles on a single charge.

www.nextbigfuture.com

 

[Lisa]

The Kenworth has a range of 150 miles. The Tesla "long haul" model gets 500. Costs are supposed to be less than diesel.

Tesla Semi replaces diesel trucks with lower operating costs, fleet driven 7.5M km, 1700 km in 24 hours is possible, Dan Priestly at IAA - Tesla Oracle

Head of Tesla Semi program Dan Priestly presents the electric truck at IAA Transportation in Hanover, Germany. Graphs, info, and Tesla (TSLA) plans of bringing the Semi to Europe.

www.teslaoracle.com

PepsiCo has been driving a fleet for a couple years and they seem to be satisfied.

Pepsi Confirms Over 450 Miles of Range for Tesla Semi and Less than 1.7 KWH per Mile | NextBigFuture.com

Pepsi is deploying Tesla Semis at its Sacramento, CA location in long-haul applications with heavy loads. Trip distances are up to 450 miles on a single charge.

www.nextbigfuture.com

Is Pepsi hauling full 40K loads of soda pop or are they pulling a van with chips in it? The high cube trailers used to transport chips and such are very lite. The performance would be vastly different.

 

[Noodlegawd]

A Tesla crashed in Westchester the other day. Went up in flames, 2 dead. I'll pass.

Believe it or not, gas-powered cars also sometimes go up in flames when they crash.

 

[Michael Cole]

Is Pepsi hauling full 40K loads of soda pop or are they pulling a van with chips in it? The high cube trailers used to transport chips and such are very lite. The performance would be vastly different.

They're pulling full loads.

Pepsi Tesla Semi Proves Real World 80,000 lbs Maximum Gross Weight Operation With Long Range on a Single Charge | NextBigFuture.com

There has been official reporting that Tesla Semi is able drive over 420 miles on one charge with 80,000 pounds of total load (including the weight of the

www.nextbigfuture.com

There has been official reporting that Tesla Semi is able drive over 420 miles on one charge with 80,000 pounds of total load (including the weight of the truck and trailer). This was a heavily disputed capability. The range was with driving speeds of 65 mph which has 15% less range than trucks driving at 52 mph. The Tesla Semis have been driving over 400 miles on a single charge with full loads and average speeds of 65 miles per hour. Tesla can do 70% charge in 60 minutes and 90% charge in 90 minutes. 15-30 minutes for 15-35% topoff charges. Pepsi has 750 kw chargers installed. Tesla Semi were charging during the day to get operated distance.

 

[Lisa]

They're pulling full loads.

Pepsi Tesla Semi Proves Real World 80,000 lbs Maximum Gross Weight Operation With Long Range on a Single Charge | NextBigFuture.com

There has been official reporting that Tesla Semi is able drive over 420 miles on one charge with 80,000 pounds of total load (including the weight of the

www.nextbigfuture.com

There has been official reporting that Tesla Semi is able drive over 420 miles on one charge with 80,000 pounds of total load (including the weight of the truck and trailer). This was a heavily disputed capability. The range was with driving speeds of 65 mph which has 15% less range than trucks driving at 52 mph. The Tesla Semis have been driving over 400 miles on a single charge with full loads and average speeds of 65 miles per hour. Tesla can do 70% charge in 60 minutes and 90% charge in 90 minutes. 15-30 minutes for 15-35% topoff charges. Pepsi has 750 kw chargers installed. Tesla Semi were charging during the day to get operated distance.

400 miles is just about 6 hours at 65mph. They would need to stop and recharge well before the end of their 11 hour shift. If they stop at one of their mandated breaks, It will take much longer to recharge then the allotted 30 minute break.

How many hours can a truck driver drive?​

A truck driver can drive for up to 11 hours within a 14-hour on-duty window, after which they must rest for 10 consecutive hours.

How many hours can a truck driver drive? HOS rules explained

Gain a better understanding of how many hours a truck driver can drive, and learn more about the Hours of Service rules and log duty statuses.

schneiderjobs.com

 

[Helix]

Truck fleets arent going too buy them because between the time of recharging and the higher costs they just arent economically viable. Hybrid class 7/8 trucks already exist.

Kenworth already has their own all-electric truck. Id trust PACCAR over Tesla 100%. https://www.kenworth.com/trucks/t680e/

I used to be at least mildly pro-Musk (see my posts on this site from years ago) and watched things related to him with some interest. However, then, for some reason, he decided to become everything that disgusts me in the loudest way. As it stands now, I can't justify spending money on any of his products other than what is taken from my tax dollars and placed into his pocket. It bothers me a bit that he decided to MyPillow+. Just today, I read an article about the plan to needlessly force all federal employees into commuting when they don't need to. This is a dumb, dangerous, and infuriating idea. COVID showed us that working from home can actually increase productivity, because you can spend the time working instead of driving at least a few days a week. Mandatory five days a week onsite whether you need to be there or not is just stupid. Cruelty is the point in this case, and he has inspired other upper management to demand the same thing. He has definitely lost a potential fan.

 

[Michael Cole]

400 miles is just about 6 hours at 65mph. They would need to stop and recharge well before the end of their 11 hour shift. If they stop at one of their mandated breaks, It will take much longer to recharge then the allotted 30 minute break.

How many hours can a truck driver drive? HOS rules explained

Gain a better understanding of how many hours a truck driver can drive, and learn more about the Hours of Service rules and log duty statuses.

schneiderjobs.com

Pepsi seems pleased. The charge time is an hour for 70%. I'm sure they have the schedules worked out.

This chart compares manufacturers.

 

[Lisa]

I used to be at least mildly pro-Musk (see my posts on this site from years ago) and watched things related to him with some interest. However, then, for some reason, he decided to become everything that disgusts me in the loudest way. As it stands now, I can't justify spending money on any of his products other than what is taken from my tax dollars and placed into his pocket. It bothers me a bit that he decided to MyPillow+. Just today, I read an article about the plan to needlessly force all federal employees into commuting when they don't need to. This is a dumb, dangerous, and infuriating idea. COVID showed us that working from home can actually increase productivity, because you can spend the time working instead of driving at least a few days a week. Mandatory five days a week onsite whether you need to be there or not is just stupid. Cruelty is the point in this case, and he has inspired other upper management to demand the same thing. He has definitely lost a potential fan.

I never trusted the guy because many of his claims could not be substantiated. He has always been a flashy smoke and mirrors type. IMO.

I looked at a Tesla once and the deeper I looked the worse it got. I'm certainly not the normal customer because of my experience working in the auto/truck industry but I would never buy one of his cars. I wanted to like them but I just can't. The technology for the driver aids is just not at the point where it can be trusted. Its useful for a few seconds but I would never implicitly trust it in the city or in bad weather.

 

[Helix]

I never trusted the guy because many of his claims could not be substantiated. He has always been a flashy smoke and mirrors type. IMO.

I looked at a Tesla once and the deeper I looked the worse it got. I'm certainly not the normal customer because of my experience working in the auto/truck industry but I would never buy one of his cars. I wanted to like them but I just can't. The technology for the driver aids is just not at the point where it can be trusted. Its useful for a few seconds but I would never implicitly trust it in the city or in bad weather.

I haven't driven one, but I like them. Their performance is impressive. I feel a bit bad for progressive people who bought one for the right reasons and now have to deal with what Musk has done to the brand. However, if they could afford it in the first place, I'm sure that they'll end up ok somehow. "**** this, let's trade it for an electric Mustang" is probably an option for them if they want it.

 

[Airyaman]

Pepsi seems pleased. The charge time is an hour for 70%. I'm sure they have the schedules worked out.

This chart compares manufacturers.

View attachment 67546205

Since Pepsi has multiple distributors across the US, I don't see the need for many trucks to be long haulers (8+ hours per day). Probably a good application for these types of trucks.

 

[Michael Cole]

Since Pepsi has multiple distributors across the US, I don't see the need for many trucks to be long haulers (8+ hours per day). Probably a good application for these types of trucks.

They've been driving an average of 65 mph, so that's close to 8 hours on a 500 mile charge. The charging time is quite fast, so I don't see much of an issue pushing past 500 miles.

Pepsi says it has been doing long haul with the trucks.

So far, PepsiCo’s Tesla Semi fleets are operating from three depots—one in Modesto; another in Sacramento; and another in Fresno, California. The Modesto depot operates 15 Tesla Semis that run regional long-haul routes, while the Sacramento depot operates 21 Tesla Semis, 18 of which are running local routes and 3 of which are running regional long-haul routes. The Fresno depot operates 50 Tesla Semis, 45 of which are used for local routes and 5 of which are used for regional long-haul routes.

"Regional long-haul" isn't defined, so these routes may be 500 miles and less.

 

[Michael Cole]

Eh, the industrial center is about 15 minutes from both Sparks and Fernley, so it's not very remote. Traffic is horrible at rush hour. The park is in Storey County which has a population of 4,000, and 20,000 people work at the center. Tesla's first abatements ended this year, and the county is finally getting the funds it needs.

Washoe County is attempting to divert the tax revenue from Storey County. The argument is valid, but Storey is seriously in need of funding.

TRIC exec: Don’t force Storey County to share tax windfall

If Storey County receives the Tesla tax windfall in 2024, the county's revenues would effectively double.

www.nevadaappeal.com

"They (Storey County officials) have not seen a single tax dollar from Tesla on their major tax schedule for 10 years," Thompson told host Sam Shad. "It just seems unfair and untimely right now that on the eve of Storey County finally getting the benefit of their bargain, that someone would come in and try to peel some of that off."

Reno, Sparks or Washoe County could claim a share of Storey County's windfall because Storey County offers little in housing and public services. Instead, employees at Tesla, Panasonic and the other corporate giants at TRI mostly live in Reno or Sparks and depend on Washoe County or municipal services such as schools, roads, hospitals, sewer, plus fire and police protection, officials said.

"About 80 percent of the people that work at the TRI Center live with us and commute back and forth," Sparks Mayor Ed Lawson said recently on Nevada Newsmakers.

Tiny Storey County has been neglected for 100 years. Virginia City's water and sewer system is ancient. I understand mayor Lawson's point, but Storey should get the money first.

 

[phoenix2020]

I think it will work out. The cost per mile is lower, maintenance is reduced rather dramatically, and it’s a more pleasant, performant and efficient driving experience. I personally think hydrogen might make more sense over the long haul for this application however.