This world is full of setbacks, no doubt. However, everything that surrounds Tesla is a source of controversy, doubts and disappointments. So much so that Elon Musk himself has had to come to the fore on social networks to explain why, at the moment, it is not easy to introduce more high-volume electric models, such as the Tesla Cybertruck and the Semi. The summary is: market problems.
Just a few days ago everyone was talking about some surprising words from the CEO of PepsiCo. These statements included the possible delivery of several units of the Tesla Semi to the American soft drink company. Obviously this information came just a few weeks after Tesla itself announced the delay in the development of its first electric truck, at least until 2023. So: how do we reconcile this conflict of information?
“Everything seemed to indicate that the language of the refreshing company had failed, but perhaps not as much as one might expect, writes Javier Gomara in Hibridos Y Electricos. This same weekend, Elon Musk has come out to comment on the statements through his favorite social network, Twitter. Responding to a simple comment, the CEO of Tesla revealed that, although a few units of the Tesla Semi may be delivered in the near future, it is extremely difficult to mass-produce a new electric model. This also refers to the Cybertruck’s production, despite reports that Tesla already is sending out TXT messages and emails to Cybertruck reservation holders preparing them for deliveries.
Please don’t read too much into this. As mentioned publicly, Tesla is constrained by chip supply short-term & cell supply long-term.
Not possible to produce additional vehicles in volume until both constraints are addressed.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2021
It is no secret that the market is going through a delicate stage at the moment. The lack of components, mainly chips, has affected the automotive industry that is already very slow in production. Tesla has been one of the manufacturers that has best weathered the chip storm, but it is beginning to suffer the same problems as the rest of its rivals. This lack of chips causes attention to shift to existing models and not to future products that would cost many more resources to bring to the market.
“It is simple. Tesla wants to focus on its current range while waiting for the market to start to get back to normal. However, that has not been the only excuse scrutinized by Musk himself. While the lack of chips is a problem in the short term, in the long term the drawbacks can come from the lack of battery cells. A problem of the utmost importance and in which Tesla is already working to reverse,” writes Gomara.
The lack of battery cells is not something specific or sporadic. It is estimated that during the next 10 years the market will have a limited production due to the arrival of many more electrified vehicles. Developing and producing a battery like the one in the Tesla Semi is extremely complex. The consumption of resources is very high, and once again Tesla prefers to divert those resources to the current range, to the range that is making money.
It is clear that the Tesla Semi will end up arriving at some point, like the Tesla Cybertruck, but what is also crystal clear is that in the current market situation it is not at all convenient to neglect the present range of products to produce two vehicles the neither of which will give as many results as the Model 3 or Model Y. It is a clear and logical move, and we hope that soon the light will be seen at the end of the tunnel for the production of the Cybertruck and Tesla Semi.
Update: According to a new information shared with Torque News, Tesla may have over 3 million Cybertruck orders by October 12, 2021.
Do yo agree that Model Y will make more money for Tesla than the Cybertruck? By the way, it looks like the Cybertruck may have a new beta version, reports Torque News Tesla reporter Jeremy Johnson.
Armen Hareyan is the founder and the Editor in Chief of Torque News. He founded TorqueNews.com in 2010, which since then has been publishing expert news and analysis about the automotive industry. He can be reached at Torque News Twitter, Facebok, Linkedin and Youtube.