Tesla is no stranger to delays. Customers seemed to have accepted that. Wall Street definitely has. But at the end of the day, the company always seems to deliver. This has proven time and again, such as with the Model 3. But what about the Tesla Semi?

The class 8 truck with an 80,000-pound towing capacity was first shown in 2017 with the promise it'd go on sale to trucking companies in 2019. It was later delayed to 2020. Well, that didn't happen. But there's still nearly half a year left to 2021. Could this finally be the year of the Semi? According to Electrek, the answer is 'yes.'

Citing inside sources, supposedly from the Gigafactory Nevada where production will take place, the drive axle assembly line is ready and the final assembly line is undergoing final checks. The next step is full-on production. The plan is to build five units per week by the end of the year. The first examples off the line will not be customer vehicles but rather for Tesla's own hauling needs. It's the perfect opportunity for even finer tweaking before customer deliveries get underway before the year ends.

One of Tesla's biggest Semi customers is Pepsi, which has placed an order for 15 trucks for its California facility. It has a total of 100 reservations.

Some other customers include City Furniture, Walmart, and Anheuser-Busch. Other major companies prefer to take a "wait and see" approach as to how well the all-electric rigs perform. Tesla is offering two versions, one with a 300-mile range, the second up to 500 miles on a single charge.

Tesla is reportedly installing its first-ever Megacharger at that Pepsi plant specifically for the trucks. We highly doubt Tesla passenger car owners want to see those Semis taking up space at regular Supercharging stations. Also, the Semis need more power than the average Tesla. The automaker's likely long-term plan is for a series of Megachargers across North America along major shipping routes.