Tesla delivered its first all-electric Semi truck to PepsiCo
Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated in October that the company plans to produce 50,000 Semis in North America by 2024.
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Elon Musk (right) speaks with Dan Priestly, Senior Manager of Tesla Semi Truck Engineering at the vehicles delivery event. (Reuters)
Tesla delivered its first electric semitrailer truck to PepsiCo on Thursday, expanding the electric vehicle maker's offerings beyond passenger cars. CEO Elon Musk drove a Semi to the delivery event, which took place at a factory near Reno, Nevada.
The Semi is an all-electric, class-8 freight truck with a range of 300 to 500 miles on a single charge, depending on the type.
During the event, Musk said, "If you're a trucker and you want the most badass rig on the road, this is it.”
Tesla has delivered the Semi trucks after several years of waiting. They were first shown in 2017 and were supposed to be delivered in 2019 — but the plan was pushed back due to a shortage of parts and supply chain issues.
Musk did not take questions at the end of the presentation, which prompted some skepticism about the vehicle's capabilities, according to Reuters. Oliver Dixon, a senior analyst at consultancy Guidehouse, stated that this is "not very spectacular – carrying a cargo of chips (average weight per pack 52 grams) cannot be regarded to be definitive proof of concept."
