The first order for the vehicles was placed back in 2017, but Tesla only started deliveries on December 2, 2022, with the initial production rate being very limited.

PepsiCo intends to use 21 Tesla Semi for local deliveries of Pepsi products, while another 15 vehicles will be used by PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay manufacturing plant in Modesto, California. To prepare for the electrification, the company has installed high-power DC fast charging stations at both sites.

Notably, PepsiCo’s initial purchase of Tesla Semis, estimated at around $250,000 per vehicle, was largely subsidised by state and federal grants. The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District paid for 18 of the 21 trucks to be used at the South Sacramento bottling plant with $4.5 million in grants, while PepsiCo received a total of $15 million in state and local grants for the vehicles and charging infrastructure in both Sacramento and Modesto, plus $40,000 per vehicle from the federal government.

Erica Edwards, senior vice-president for manufacturing for PepsiCo, said the Tesla Semi trucks “have a range of around 400 miles before they need to be charged.” Contradicting Teslas claims that the vehicle range is 500 miles when fully loaded, while the efficiency is 1.7kWh per mile (1.06 kWh/km).