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The first Tesla Semis will be delivered to at least one customer on Thursday night, three years later than originally planned.
The truck was presented as a concept in November 2017 with plans to have it in production by 2019, but it was delayed for various reasons.
PepsiCo reserved 100 Semis shortly after its reveal and will take delivery of its first trucks during a delivery event at Tesla’s Sparks, Nevada factory.
Tesla has not confirmed whether other reservation holders will pick up trucks at the event, which will air live at 5 p.m. PT.
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The Semi was first revealed in 2017. (REUTERS/Alexandria Sage/File Photo/Reuters Photos)
The number of vehicles that will be delivered is unknown, but PepsiCo said it will initially use them at its Frito-Lay plant in Modesto, California, and PepsiCo’s beverage plant in Sacramento, California.
Tesla President Robyn Denholm recently said that the automaker could build up to 100 Semis before the end of 2022, but the long-term goal is much bigger than that.
“As I think everyone knows by now, it takes about a year to ramp up production. So we expect to see something significant — we’re tentatively targeting 50,000 units in 2024 for Tesla Semi in North America,” the CEO said. Elon Musk. he said during Tesla’s third-quarter earnings call.
“And obviously, we’ll expand beyond North America. And these would be sold. I don’t want to say the exact prices, but they are much more than a passenger vehicle.”
Tesla’s Semi delivery event will take place at its Sparks, Nevada factory. (Tesla/Fox News)
Musk said he would be present at the delivery event.
The Semi was previously listed on Tesla’s website at $180,000 for a version that could go 500 miles per charge, but pricing information has since been removed and PepsiCo hasn’t said how much it’s paying for the vehicles. There are several incentives available for the purchase of commercial electric trucks, including a federal tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act that is worth 30% of the purchase price up to $40,000.
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The Semi was expected to be designed around Tesla’s next-generation 4680 battery cells, which are larger and more energy-dense, but will launch with the smaller current-generation 2170 type used in most their cars made in usa
The Semi has a range of 500 with a full trailer. (Tesla/Fox News)
Even with the older battery, Musk said last week that one of the trucks completed a 500-mile test drive on a single charge with a full load and a total weight of 81,000 pounds.
The Semi is a Class 8 truck and federal regulations allow it to operate with a maximum weight of 82,000 pounds.
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The standard Class 8 limit is 80,000 pounds, but the regulations were updated during former President Trump’s administration to help accommodate the added weight of an electric truck’s battery pack.
