Tesla Inc CEO Elon Musk announced plans to bring the company’s electric semi truck, the Tesla Semi, to production at Gigafactory Berlin, but emphasized the importance of starting volume production in the US first.
Musk made the announcement during the reopening of Gigafactory Berlin after it had to shut down for just over a week following an arson attack that crippled its power supply. The factory is currently producing only the Model Y.
“I think it makes sense to produce the Tesla Semi in Europe in Gigafactory Berlin,” Musk said, according to local German media reports.
However, Musk did not provide a timeline for the project, and Tesla has yet to announce a new vehicle program beyond the Model Y for the factory.
The Tesla Semi is currently in low-volume production at a facility outside Gigafactory Nevada. In January 2023, Tesla announced a massive expansion of Gigafactory Nevada to add production of Tesla Semi trucks and 4680 battery cells, and to expand the factory to its originally planned size.
Despite the announcement, no progress was made on the factory expansion for a year. In January 2024, Tesla finally broke ground on the project, but it remains unclear when the automaker will start production of the electric semi truck.
Tesla is unlikely to invest in production at another factory until it can sustainably produce the vehicle in volume at Gigafactory Nevada.
