Tesla to bring the Semi to Europe
It has been clear that the Tesla Semi is coming to Europe since last September at the latest, when the model attracted everyone’s attention at the IAA in Hanover. Long queues formed in front of the electric US truck. However, those responsible made it clear at the time that the market debut would be around two years away – in other words, 2026 at the earliest.
Now there is movement in the matter – at least in terms of personnel: Usuf Schermo has posted on LinkedIn that he is working as ‘Head of Business Development EMEA’ for the Tesla Semi. EMEA stands for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The new appointment was first discovered and published by the US portal Electrek.
Schermo has a master’s degree in industrial engineering, energy and resource management and has experience in the industry: he was responsible for sales in Germany at Volta Trucks from 2022 to 2024, before the company had to file for insolvency in 2023 and 2025. For the past year, Schermo has been in charge of sales at EVUM Motors, a Munich-based manufacturer of electric vans that was formed around the development and marketing of the aCar electric van. He is now tasked with developing the local market for Tesla’s electric heavy-duty trucks.
It is clear that the Tesla Semi is on the verge of series production, after a ‘production version’ was presented in 2022 and smaller quantities were delivered to a handful of customers, including Pepsi Co. Some Semis can also be found in the company’s internal Tesla fleet. In future, the electric truck will be built in a separate factory next to the Gigafactory Nevada. As Electrek reports, Tesla completed the building at the beginning of this year and started work on the production lines. Series production is expected to start at the end of 2025, with a capacity of 50,000 vehicles per year. Unveiled in 2017 and initially promised to hit the roads in 2019, the Semi is expected to go on sale in 2026.
As far as the European plans are concerned, Dan Priestley, Head of Truck Development at Tesla, said at last year’s IAA that the truck would be adapted to European regulations and market requirements for the local launch. He also emphasised that the debut in Europe is not expected before 2026. In his presentation, he also spoke about the aforementioned factory in Nevada: in the future, mass production of 50,000 vehicles per year should significantly reduce unit costs. During a visit to the factory in Grünheide, Germany, in mid-March 2024, Tesla CEO Elon Musk also mentioned the plant as a potential future production site for the Semi.
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