
Tesla's Semi factory in Nevada to have first trucks in production by end of 2025
Dan Priestley, who leads the Semi program at Tesla, said in a video posted to YouTube on Monday, that the factory has an annual capacity of 50,000 units, adding that the company will prepare for high volume production over the next few quarters.
"First units are set to be on the line by the end of this year, and we'll be ramping the factory throughout 2026," Priestley said.
Tesla, which has been looking to build a truck-making business for years, had said it would have the Semi in production by 2019. In October 2022, CEO Elon Musk told investors that his goal was to make 50,000 Semis in 2024.
Tesla's plans to ship components from China for the Cybercab and the Semi in the United States were suspended after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods amid a trade war, Reuters exclusively reported earlier this month.
The EV maker was ready to absorb the additional costs when Trump imposed the 34 per cent tariff on Chinese goods, but could not do so when the tariff went beyond that, leaving shipping plans suspended.
Trump raised additional tariffs to 84 per cent on April 9 and has since increased that to 125 per cent, bringing the total tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the US to 145 per cent.
Tesla last week said that it would reassess its growth forecast in three months because it was "difficult to measure the impacts of shifting global trade policy on the automotive and energy supply chains" and that "changing political sentiment could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Ultra-fast charging powers EV use in mountainous regions
Electric vehicles are charged at the Quanhu Park station equipped with ultra-fast liquid-cooled chargers in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, June 13, 2025. (Xinhua) GUIYANG (July 28): Nestled in the hills of Guizhou, a mountainous province in southwest China, a new generation charging station is elevating the experience for electric vehicle (EV) owners. The Quanhu Park station in the provincial capital of Guiyang, covering over 3,900 square meters, has 130 charging bays that offer charging speeds of nearly 'one-kilometer-per-second.' This advancement comes as China faces mounting infrastructure demands from its rapidly growing EV fleet. National data shows a charging market still dominated by low-power units, with fast charging underrepresented and ultra-fast technology only beginning to emerge. In July, four central government departments jointly released a roadmap aiming to build over 100,000 high-power charging points nationwide by the end of 2027 to achieve substantial upgrades in service capacity and tech innovation. Co-developed by Hubei Shanxin energy technology group and China Southern Power Grid's Guizhou EV service company, the Quanhu Park station represents Guizhou's first liquid-cooled integrated facility combining ultra-fast charging, solar power, and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) energy exchange. 'Our aim is to match the refueling efficiency of petrol vehicles, ultimately boosting premium EV adoption,' said Lin Xiaolan, a director at Shanxin Energy, highlighting the station's multi-functional design as the template for future infrastructure. Equipped with 20 ultra-fast liquid-cooled chargers with a maximum power of 600 kW, 100 fast chargers with a maximum power of 250 kW, and 10 bidirectional V2G units of 20 kW, the station can serve 120 vehicles simultaneously with rapid charging. This photo taken on June 13, 2025 shows the Quanhu Park charging station equipped with ultra-fast liquid-cooled chargers in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Xinhua) An intelligent system displays real-time operational data and manages energy flows across charging, solar power generation, and battery storage subsystems. Station manager Shi Jihong noted that charging between midnight and 8 a.m. — the period of lowest electricity rates — caters primarily to ride-hailing drivers and taxi drivers that favor low-cost charging. 'This is the premier charging experience,' said Che Zhong, a ride-hailing service driver, praising the environment and minimal queuing. It only takes 50 minutes of charging to get enough electricity for a day. China Southern Power Grid's Guizhou EV service plans comprehensive ultra-fast coverage across Guizhou's urban centers and widespread fast-charging availability in county-level areas, steadily weaving a network that promises seamless EV operation even in one of the country's most mountainous regions. – Xinhua charging station China electric vehicle rural area


Borneo Post
an hour ago
- Borneo Post
Chinese startup brings cutting-edge AI glasses to the masses
Zhu Mingming, founder and CEO of Rokid, a Hangzhou-based technology company, poses for a photo at Rokid's flagship store in Yujiang District of Yingtan, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai) NANCHANG (July 28): A decade after founding Rokid, entrepreneur Zhu Mingming turned heads at an economic forum in February with a simple remark: 'My speech is in my glasses, so I don't need a transcript.' Standing casually behind the podium in a hooded sweatshirt, Zhu confidently told the audience he was using a smart ring to flip through virtual slides on his AI glasses. Within hours, the clip went viral on Chinese social media, sparking a wave of inquiries from viewers eager to know where they could buy the product. Zhu, known as 'Misa' in tech circles, recently showcased the same model, Rokid Glasses, at an experience store in his hometown, Yujiang District of Yingtan City, in east China's Jiangxi Province, a region long regarded as a trade and production hub for eyewear. What made that February moment stand out wasn't just the technology; it was how seamlessly the glasses blended into everyday life. 'While I'm speaking here, I'm also checking my WeChat messages on a virtual screen right in front of my eyes, and you probably didn't even notice,' he said at the store. 'In the past, many people wanted smart glasses, but they were either too bulky, too clunky, or their AI capabilities were not strong enough, so in the end, they were little more than a Bluetooth headset,' Zhu said. Unlike those early models, the new-generation Rokid Glasses weigh just 49 grams, resemble regular eyewear, and offer robust battery life. Zhu credits much of this progress to rapid AI advancements in recent years. Zhu encouraged visitors at the store to try on the smart glasses. 'Give them a try, and you'll decide for yourself whether they could become an everyday device like smartphones in the future,' he said. 'A good product should first be a good pair of glasses,' Zhu added. 'Then a good headset, a good camera, and ultimately, a great AI device.' In addition to browsing social media and watching videos, the device can project real-time captions, translations, navigation prompts, and AI-generated answers directly onto the lens, powered by leading Chinese AI models such as DeepSeek and Doubao. With simple voice commands, users can ask for directions, identify objects, receive call notifications, or even solve math problems, without ever reaching for their phone. A staff member demonstrates a pair of smart glasses developed by Hangzhou-based technology company Rokid at Rokid's flagship store in Yujiang District of Yingtan, east China's Jiangxi Province, July 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai) 'It's rare, even globally, for a company to develop such a highly integrated and fully functional product in such a lightweight form,' Zhu said. 'That's only possible because we've stayed committed to this path for the past 10 years.' Around 90 percent of Rokid's funding goes into research and development (R&D), which makes it a highly R&D-driven company even by global standards. 'Our booth is very popular in the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,' Zhu said. He noted that Rokid aims to make smart glasses an affordable everyday tech product. Priced at around 3,000 yuan, they are far more accessible than many international models that cost over 10,000 yuan. While similar products from other companies failed to win over consumers, Rokid is now facing the challenge of fulfilling orders on time, with over 300,000 units already sold. 'We didn't expect to be overwhelmed this quickly,' Zhu admitted. He is convinced that smart glasses are set to become the next transformative platform after smartphones. However, he acknowledges the industry is still in its early stages, with the main challenge being educating the market to attract more users. With a series of Rokid's innovative products in tow, Zhu is taking his next big step in his hometown. Yujiang is home to over 260 eyewear companies and ranks among China's top five optical manufacturing bases. But most of its industry remains focused on trade and conventional manufacturing. Rokid has signed a strategic agreement with the local government and plans to establish a production base, integrate the local supply chain, and forge cooperation with local colleges to train a new generation of technicians. 'The talent is already here,' Zhu said. 'People in Yujiang understand eyewear. Now we just need to help them understand smart glasses.' Zhu acknowledged the journey won't be quick, but he remains optimistic. 'If we can help transform the local traditional eyewear industry into a more innovative one, that would be the most rewarding outcome of all.' – Xinhua AI glasses artificial intelligence China technology


The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Italy's Meloni says it's a 'positive' trade deal was reached but needs to see details
FILE PHOTO: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks to the media with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (not pictured) at Chigi Palace in Rome, Italy, July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo ROME (Reuters) -Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Sunday it is "positive" a trade deal has been reached between the European Union and the United States, adding, however, that she needs to see the details. Washington struck a framework trade deal with the EU imposing a 15% import tariff on most EU goods. "I consider it positive that there is an agreement, but if I don't see the details I am not able to judge it in the best way," Meloni told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting in Addis Ababa. Italy is one of the biggest European exporters to the U.S., with a trade surplus of more than 40 billion euros. The Italian government, led by a nationalist coalition, had urged its European partners to avoid a direct clash between the two sides of the Atlantic. In a statement, Meloni said that the agreement "ensures stability", adding that the 15% "is sustainable, especially if this percentage is not added to previous duties, as was originally planned." "We are ready to activate support measures at the national level, but we ask that they also be activated at the European level for sectors that will be particularly affected by US tariff measures," she added. The statement was also signed by the leaders of the other two coalition parties: Antonio Tajani of Forza Italia and Matteo Salvini of the League. (Reporting by Sara Rossi and Giselda Vagnoni, editing by Diane Craft and Nick Zieminski)