Tesla Inc on Friday said that it was delaying the launch of its electric transport truck, diverting resources to step up production of its Model 3 sedan and to produce batteries for storm-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Chief executive Elon Musk announced the news on Twitter, pushing back the launch of a semi-truck which had been set to be unveiled on Oct. 26 in California.
The news comes after a slower-than-expected debut for Tesla’s Model 3, the US$35,000 sedan that aims to bring electric vehicles to a broader market.
The company earlier this week said that it had received about 450,000 preorders for the Model 3, but production has been hobbled by a bottleneck in “manufacturing subsystems.”
“Tesla Semi unveil now Nov 16,” Musk tweeted on Friday. “Diverting resources to fix Model 3 bottlenecks & increase battery production for Puerto Rico & other affected areas.”
In a series of exchanges on Twitter on Thursday and Friday, Musk said the company could help restore electricity to Puerto Rico — where the power system was devastated by Hurricane Maria — by using solar panels and batteries.
Responding to a tweet asking whether Tesla could help, Musk answered: “The Tesla team has done this for many smaller islands around the world, but there is no scalability limit, so it can be done for Puerto Rico too.”
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosello joined the conversation, tweeting to Musk: “Let’s talk. Do you want to show the world the power and scalability of your #TeslaTechnologies? PR could be that flagship project.”
“I would be happy to talk. Hopefully, Tesla can be helpful,” Musk responded.
Separately, the US Federal Communications Commission late on Friday said that it had approved Alphabet Inc’s application to provide emergency cellular service to Puerto Rico through balloons.
The FCC said that 83 percent of cell sites remain out of service in Puerto Rico, while wireless communications companies are deploying temporary sites.
Alphabet, which announced its Project Loon in 2013 to use balloons to provide internet service in remote regions, said in an FCC filing that it was working to “support licensed mobile carriers’ restoration of limited communications capability” in Puerto Rico.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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