Tesla will delay the launch of their Semi, and it looks like the Cybertruck too, according to recent reports.
Even after encouraging signs point an imminent Tesla Semi launch, it doesn’t look like we’ll get it quite as soon as we were hoping. On a recent earnings, the company implied the Cybertruck will almost certainly have to wait a bit as well. It said, “we have shifted the launch of the Semi truck program to 2022. We are also making progress on the industrialization of Cybertruck, which is currently planned for Austin production subsequent to Model Y.”
Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas is currently under construction. As the Model Y enjoys explosive popularity among the customer base, it makes sense for the automaker to roll that out first. According to Lars Moravy, vice president of vehicle engineering at Tesla, the Cybertruck has finished basic engineering concerning the vehicle’s architecture. He also stated that it will enter the beta testing phase later on this year. Once Model Ys roll off the Texas assembly line, the Cybertruck should — barring any other unforeseen delays — be ready to roll into production.
There appear to be many factors forcing the delays.
Among the likely culprits is the industry-wide chip shortage. When pushed about the possibility of building a new Tesla chip factory, CEO Elon Musk turned down the idea. He stated: “That would take us, even moving like lightning, 12 to 18 months.”
The bottom line is, it seems unlikely that customers will see deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck before the end of 2021. As for the Tesla Semi truck? The first fleet customers will have another year or so to wait.
With this potential delay hanging over the Tesla Cybertruck, it could leave the door open for competitors to claim they were there first. Even with their own delays, we still expect to see a Rivian R1T shortly. The Ford F-150 Lightning is slated for production in the spring of 2022.