Electric truck race: Tesla Semi vs Volvo FH

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

Musk initially said the trucks would be in production by 2019, but the timeline has been delayed due to supply chain shortages and the impact of the pandemic.

Following a pledge to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, Pepsi reserved 100 of the trucks in December 2017—just one month after Musk originally announced the prototype. Discussions around the Tesla Semi had been relatively quiet since its reveal in that same year—until May 2022, when the company began charging US$5,000 upfront, followed by US$15,000 within ten days for a reservation. Prices for the Semi start at US$150,000.