Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk cautioned that a shortage in battery cell supplies could hamper his company's ability to ramp up production of the Tesla semi truck.
On a conference call following Tesla's fourth quarter earnings, Musk said that while a Tesla semi would use “typically five times the number of cells that car would use", it "would not sell for five times what a car would sell for".
Musk tweeted on Tuesday that there is no problem for the demand for the trucks is "... but near-term cell supply makes it hard to scale Semi", adding that 'this limitation will be less onerous next year."
Tesla unveiled the Tesla semi in 2017. It would be priced at around $150,000 for the 300-mile model and around $180,000 for the longer 500-mile model.