Several Tesla Semi units are in on-road tests. Barely a month, the Environmental Protection Agency gave the green light for the vehicle manufacturers to proceed with production and delivery. It could be a telltale sign Elon Musk will flip-flop this time.
Teslarati spotted Tesla Semi trucks on-road tests near its Gigafactory in Nevada as the manufacturer has only over a month before making its first deliveries to PepsiCo.
The vehicle manufacturer, Teslarati said, is conducting on-road tests to assess the Semi truck's roadworthiness.
Tell Tale Sign
Tesla was sending a message with the recent on-road tests that it will not renege on its promise to have the Semi trucks enter the stream of commerce. CEO Musk will not either.
Musk is known for his proclivity to flip-flop on his statements. But this time, the Tesla chief appears to be all business to make the first deliveries on Dec. 1 finally.
On-road testing is not uncommon for automakers ahead of any vehicle rollout. Tesla and other manufacturers have been conducting on-road testing in the past.
This one with Tesla was not a routine test but also a statement it will make good on its promise.
Musk's Flip-Flop
Seeing the Semi trucks and on-road tests are indications that Musk will not be in his element to flip-flop on the decision.
Over the years, the CEO has been known to make a decision and take it back later. Below are some of the instances when Musk flip-flopped.
1. In 2018, the US Securities and Exchange Commission had Musk investigated after the billionaire walked back from his statement he was to take Tesla private. Later, he announced he was not pushing through with the plan.
The SEC investigators wanted to determine if Musk lied to investors, assuring them he had funding.
Musk later admitted before company officials he impulsively decided to tweet his plan to take the company private. The goal, he said, was to hurt some stock traders who made money out of speculations that Tesla's stock would decline.
2. Musk also flip-flopped on bitcoin in 2021. Initially, the CEO announced the company would accept bitcoin as payment if crypto miners cut their energy consumption in half. The crypto leaped 9.58 percent after the announcement.
Musk's announcement sent the crypto inventors bullish. The price of Bitcoin skyrocketed to as high as $41,067.74 within 24 hours.
As usual, Musk did not make good on his promise. Tesla stopped accepting bitcoin as payment.
3. The CEO was at it again when he said he would buy Twitter. He backtracked later, prompting the investors to sue him. The Twitter investors said Musk's real intention was to hurt the stock price of the social media platform.
4. During Tesla Autonomy Day, Musk wowed his fans with great promises. The world's richest man announced that within a year, Tesla would produce a million self-driving cars. A year later, the electric car maker still did not have autonomous cars.
In 2018, he made a similar promise. He said Tesla would roll out Version 9 of the full self-driving (FSD). It never happened.
These were some of the instances when Musk flip-flopped and walked back from his statements. Every time he makes an announcement, questions fly, wondering if the billionaire is serious about fulfilling what he said.
Will Musk Redeem Himself?
The sightings of Tesla's Semi trucks on-road tests in Nevada could mean that Musk is going to vindicate himself.
Over a week after EPA issued Tesla the Certificate if needed to push through with the production and deliveries of the Semi trucks, Musk tweeted the first delivery would be on Dec. 1.
Finally, Musk appears to be on a high road to redeem himself, with Tesla fulfilling its delivery for PepsiCo over a month from now.
Related Article : Finally, EPA Approves Tesla Semi for Delivery to Customers
