Tesla Semi event puts the spotlight on trucking as busy month for EV maker rolls on

Tesla ( TSLA ) will open the doors to its new Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada, on Thursday, just as investors look for proof that the long-delayed electric Semi is finally ready to scale.

The Semi factory opening is the latest big event Tesla has planned, following the unveiling of its production Cybercab robotaxi in Austin earlier this month. The company will next reveal the second-generation Roadster on Oct. 1.

The invite-only "Semi Rollout" event will likely include factory tours and rides in the truck. It's unclear whether Tesla will livestream it.

The 1.7 million-square-foot plant is designed to eventually build up to 50,000 Semis a year. The first truck came off its high-volume line in late April; it's most likely that the full ramp-up is still upcoming.

Tesla is quoting customers $290,000 for the 500-mile Long Range version, per Electrek . That's roughly 60% above the $180,000 Tesla advertised in 2017. The 325-mile Standard Range costs around $260,000, based on California incentive program data.

Tesla is betting fuel savings make up the difference, and the timing helps. US diesel averaged $6.53 a gallon this week, up around 74% from a year ago, according to the Energy Information Administration . EU diesel prices also hit a record in mid-September, per European Commission data , as conflict in the Middle East squeezes supply.

Tesla heads into the Semi event with a big win. On Tuesday, ZET SCALE, a new shippers' alliance whose founding members include Microsoft and PepsiCo, named Tesla the primary manufacturer for an order of 2,500 battery-electric Class 8 trucks, per Catalyst Mobility (formerly CALSTART), one of the two groups running the program.

The order would nearly double the entire US electric Class 8 fleet. Kenworth, Volvo, and RIDE were named secondary suppliers.

"ZET SCALE's goals are exciting because they take the operational cost advantage and predictability that electricity provides and amplify it at scale," Tesla Semi program director Dan Priestley said in a statement.

Attendees are also expected to get a revised breakdown of the Semi's cost of ownership compared with diesel on Thursday.

Priestley said in May that Tesla expects to build "many thousands" of Semis by the end of 2026. He told Transport Topics the ramp would follow "a bit of an S-curve."

Tesla is also taking the Semi overseas. At the IAA Transportation show in Hannover, Germany, on Sept. 15, Tesla showed a European-spec Semi with up to 550 km (around 340 miles) of range when fully loaded. Customer deliveries are targeted for late 2027, per the trucking industry website Transport Topics .