Tesla Stock Rises With Semi Truck Launch. The New Roadster Is Up Next.

Coming into Friday trading, Tesla stock was down about 16% this year. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Key Points

• Tesla stock rose early Friday after the company held a Semi Truck launch event in Nevada, marking the start of mass production.
• Tesla plans to manufacture 50,000 Semi Trucks annually, representing about 10% of the trucks sold each year in the U.S. and Europe.
• Tesla stock was down about 16% this year heading into Friday trading, partly due to difficulties scaling up its robo-taxi business.

Tesla stock rose early Friday after it held a Semi Truck launch event in Nevada.

The Semi is a 10-ton behemoth Tesla hopes will disrupt shipping amid sky-high diesel costs. Next up is a one-ton race car, which is a collaboration with SpaceX.

Shares of the electric-vehicle maker were up 0.9% in premarket trading at $381.44, while S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were up 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively.

The move came after the Semi event, which marked the start of mass production. Tesla plans to make 50,000 Semi Trucks annually, which represents roughly 10% of the trucks sold each year in the U.S. and Europe.

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“This is really going to be a revolutionary truck,” said CEO Elon Musk. It can go 500 miles fully loaded on one charge. Recharging to 60% will take 30 minutes using Tesla’s megawatt charging technology. “It’s going to make a ton of sense economically because the cost of electricity per mile is much less than the cost of diesel, especially in these crazy times.”

Benchmark diesel prices are about $6.50 a gallon, up from $3.70 a year ago.

“Drivers are going to love this truck,” added Musk. Self-driving features will make it easier to operate and, hopefully, safer.

Next up will be a Roadster event slated for Oct. 1. The long-awaited second-generation Tesla Roadster should cost north of $200,000 and, in certain configurations, is expected to include technology from Musk’s rocket company SpaceX.

The Semi Truck and Roadster can be nice businesses for Tesla. They shouldn’t be the main drivers of the stock. Investors are focused on the company’s AI efforts, including robo-taxis and robots.

Coming into Friday trading, Tesla stock was down about 16% this year and off about 11% over the past 12 months. One reason the stock has been stuck is the difficulty Tesla has had scaling up its robo-taxi business, which was launched in June 2025. Another reason is that investors haven’t heard much about Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, this year.

Write to Al Root at allen.root@barrons.com.

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