Electric Truck Race: Tesla Semi vs. Volvo FH

On October 7, 2022, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that the company has begun production of the long-awaited Semi truck. Pepsi plans to take delivery of 15 Semi trucks on December 1, 2022, becoming the first company to receive orders for the new electric vehicle (EV). The trucks will be used at Pepsi’s Frito-Lay plant in Modesto, Calif., and the beverage plant in Sacramento. Walmart, UPS and Sysco have also placed orders, but no production announcements or updates have been made.

Musk originally said the trucks would be in production by 2019, but the timeline was pushed back due to shortage of supply chains and impact of the pandemic.

After pledging to achieve zero emissions by 2040, Pepsi reserved 100 trucks in December 2017 — just a month after Musk initially announced the prototype. Discussions surrounding the Tesla Semi have been relatively quiet since its unveiling that year – until May 2022, when the company began charging US$5,000 up front and then US$15,000 within ten days for reservations. Pricing for the Semi starts at $150,000.