Tesla Semi PepsiCo Update

DeCarbonize Our Supply Chain

The Tesla Semi is running smoothly at Pepsi which brought on 21 of the new electric trucks to help support its future sustainability goals. In a multi-year effort that aims to reduce the company’s carbon footprint, Pepsi is depending on the Tesla Semi, battery forklifts, Ford eTransit vans, and other BEVs to help operate the full logistical load at its northern California plant.

“Battery electric vehicles are essential for us,” Amanda DeVoe, Pepsi’s Transformation and Strategy Director, said “It’s really grounded in our duty cycle, i.e., how we use our assets because a good majority of our business is anchored in going to market, we deliver predominantly under 100 miles daily, and we run those vehicles around 12 hours a day.”

PepsiCo‘s Tesla Semi fleet at its Sacramento facility was made possible through a $15 million grant by Sacramento’s air quality district to which PepsiCo matched.

“It’s critical for us. We’ve got some pretty aggressive goals to decarbonize our business. By 2040, we aim to have almost 40% of our fleet decarbonized,” said Todd Squarek, PepsiCo’s Chief Sustainability Officer.

Pepsi Confirms Over 450 Miles of Range for Tesla Semi and Less than 1.7 KWH per Mile.

On of the many innovative features on this Tesla Semi electric truck is regenerative braking, a particularly useful feature as it allows the Semi to re-capture energy through the process when braking. Drivers also seem to like these electric trucks a lot and are reporting it has a terrific turn radius and provides a very comfortable drive.

Three of the 21 trucks are on long-haul routes and are pulling full loads. The Tandem axle helps give the truck flexibility for handling the loads efficiently.

Highlights of the PepsiCo Semi

✔ 500-mile, dual-motor variant.
✔ Charges up to 70% level in 30 minutes, consumes less than 2 kWh / mile.
✔ Approximately 2.5 times cheaper per mile than a diesel semi-truck.

Painted in the brand’s popular bright red and yellow colors these trucks feature an enlarged “Frito-Lay” logo printed at the front, just above the windscreen. There is also a PepsiCo-branded Semi with the Pepsi logo.

Tesla Wants a Semi Truck-Charging Route from Texas to California

Tesla is seeking $97 million in federal funding, saying it would contribute $24 million to build the first electric truck charging station network in the USA. The project would create a 1,800-mile charging corridor.

Each charging station will be equipped with eight Megachargers, with a capacity of 750 kW each, plus four chargers designed for electric trucks made by other manufacturers. 

The charging corridor would help Tesla connect its US plants with the factory it plans to build in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, just south of the Texas border. Tesla has designed Megacharger charging stations specifically for the Semi and has deployed some Megachargers at its own facilities, including Gigafactory Nevada, along with distribution centers belonging to PepsiCo, Semi’s first customer.