Tesla Makes First Deliveries of the Electric Semi-Truck

Thursday night, Tesla made the first delivery of the electric Semi-truck to PepsiCo. 

The Tesla Semi was first introduced in 2017, so Thursday’s delivery marks five years after the truck was originally unveiled. 

According to Tesla, the electric Semi is “the future of trucking.” Additionally, the company claims the truck provides a “badass performance.” “Three independent motors provide instant torque and unmatched power at any speed so drivers can merge safely and keep pace with traffic. Accelerate from 0-60 mph in 20 seconds, fully loaded, and maintain highway-level speeds even up steep grades.

Tesla also states the Semi-truck has “maximum safety,” “massive range” and electrically charging the truck is approximately 2.5 times cheaper per mile than refilling with diesel fuel. 

The Tesla Semi-trucks were presented at the company’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. After the truck was revealed in 2017, Pepsi reserved 200. The company received two of them on Thursday night at the event, but it is unclear how many the company has received in total.

“Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm said last month that the company could build 100 by the end of 2022, while Elon Musk said during the company’s third-quarter earnings call that it is aiming for a production rate of 50,000 annually by 2024”, according to Fox News.