Tesla Semi spotted in Europe, all signs point to it starting sales soon

Tesla has promised to revolutionize transportation with the launch of the Semi, its Class 8 electric truck. The Semi was formally launched in December 2022 with PepsiCo as a fleet partner. However, it hasn’t made much progress since then, and production is still done by hand in a hall near Giga Nevada. So far, Tesla has reportedly built more than 100 Semi trucks for its own needs and those of its partner companies.

THE Electric vehicle maker recently broke ground on a future Semi factory in Nevada. The factory will be able to produce up to 50,000 Semi units per year at peak volume, making Tesla one of the largest truck manufacturers in North America. However, Tesla has plans to expand beyond North America, with Europe being an obvious target.

During his visit to Giga Berlin in March, Elon Musk told employees that Tesla might produce the Semi in Germany. It wasn't a promise like the ones he usually makes about future products, but a rather vague one. “It makes sense to produce the Semi truck in Europe at Giga Berlin.” Of course, Tesla may have enough semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the US to supply Europe until demand exhausts Nevada's capacity.

Regardless of where the European Tesla Semis are produced, it is certain that they will come to Europe. Earlier this week, eagle-eyed users noticed that Tesla was advertising the position of Head of Business Development for Tesla’s Semi Truck EMEA division. The person chosen to lead this new division will be responsible for not only setting up a Semi sales channel in the region, but also the associated charging infrastructure.

Tesla is also rumored to be attending the IAA Transportation 2024 show in mid-September, and the Semi will be on display at the event. This was further confirmed by a Semi truck spotted on a German autobahn between Kamen and Hannover. The Semi was towed on a trailer, so it’s not yet at the road test stage. Since European regulations have strict rules for size and weight, it might be difficult to certify the Tesla Semi in Europe.

The current length limit of 18.75 meters (61.55 feet) has prevented long-nosed trucks from entering the market. Letting the truck’s engine use up valuable cargo space is not productive, so trucks with elevated cabs dominate European roads. This would make the Tesla Semi an exception unless the law changes. There are already discussions to allow longer, more aerodynamic cabs without sacrificing cargo volume in the case of electric trucks.

If Tesla didn’t think it was possible, it wouldn’t have advertised its corporate development position. It might even consider fulfilling Musk’s prophecy and start building a customized variant for European roads in Giga Berlin. Although other European truck manufacturers have announced electric trucks, they are still far from the performance and efficiency of the Tesla Semi.