'Production Hell' on Model 3 Delays Debut of Tesla Semi

The debut of Tesla's big rig truck, the Tesla Semi, has been pushed back for at least the second time this year, Reuters reports. Elon Musk tweeted Friday that the public now won't get its first look at the truck until Nov. 16. According to TechCrunch, the Tesla Semi was supposed to debut Oct. 26 after an initial unveiling in September was pushed back. Musk says the company is diverting resources from the Tesla Semi to fix "production bottlenecks" for its Model 3 and increase battery production to help restore electricity in Puerto Rico. "Other needs are greater right now," Musk told a Twitter user asking about the truck.

Musk describes the Model 3 as "deep in production hell"—echoing a warning of "manufacturing hell" he made back in July. Tesla had aimed to produce 1,500 Model 3s by Sept. 30; it made 260, Forbes reports. Musk blames unspecified "manufacturing subsystems" that "have taken longer to activate than expected" for the massive shortfall. (More Tesla stories.)