pepsico receives first delivery of tesla’s all-electric ‘semi’ trucks

first 100 tesla ‘semi’ trucks delivered to pepsiCo

On Thursday evening (December 1st), and as promised by Elon Musk a few months back, Tesla delivered the first batch of its all-electric ‘Semi’ trucks to PepsiCo. The delivery event took place in Reno, Nevada, where Musk discussed the semitrailer’s promising features and performance metrics. ‘If you’re a trucker and you want the most badass rig on the road, this is it,’ he commented at the event. 

The new electric vehicle is said to be three times more powerful than any diesel truck and can cover a distance of 500 miles when fully loaded, on a single charge. The company also shared a clip on Twitter showing how its engineers have ‘tested Semi in a variety of harsh conditions to maximize reliability & durability’. 

Tesla Semi driving 500 miles, fully loaded, on a single charge pic.twitter.com/iZzomLcwZF

— Tesla (@Tesla) December 2, 2022

much-awaited unveiling after a 5-year delay 

The all-electric Tesla vehicle finally launched into the market after a five-year delay. First unveiled in 2017, and besides PepsiCo, the ‘Semi’ truck grabbed the interest of global giants like Walmart, UPS, and Anheuser-Busch. The five-year lag in production had left them all patiently waiting for their own batch to land on their doorstep. 

During that five-year period, though, Tesla was actively prototyping and finalizing the design before road testing it for the first time in 2019. The production delays, Musk explained, were caused by a few bumps along the road — namely, not possessing enough battery cells to go into mass manufacturing. Fortunately, the delivery event was held as promised and the company even announced that it will produce 50,000 ‘Semis’ in North America in 2024 during its third-quarter earning calls. 

Performance-wise, the ‘Semi’ is fitted with a tri-motor system and carbon-sleeved rotors, ‘1 unit for efficiency, 2 acceleration units for torque,’ tweeted Tesla. More importantly, while on the road, the vehicle consumes less than 2kWh per mile. During the event, also elaborated on the vehicle’s bullet-like silhouette, boasting aerodynamic efficiency. With its enhanced autopilot technologies, the ‘Semi’ truck is effectively built to aid avoidance of collisions, positioning the driver at the center to provide maximum visibility and control.

Tesla engineers tested Semi in a variety of harsh conditions to maximize reliability & durability pic.twitter.com/qjctWZSWvQ

— Tesla (@Tesla) December 2, 2022

Elaborating on the user-centric approach, Tesla explains that the class-8 cargo truck was designed to ‘extend the idea of this efficiency not just when you’re on the road but into the yard as well, before and after the truck has done its job on the road.’ For example, the interiors offer plenty of space for a trucker to stand up, hang their attire, and rest when off duty. Catering to the driver’s needs as well is an extensive set of plug-ins and wireless charging for a seamless drive, from start to finish. 

project info:

name: Tesla ‘Semi’ truck

delivery event location: Reno, Nevada

first batch delivery: December 1, 2022

first customer: Pepsi