15 Tesla Semi electric trucks are expected to be delivered to PepsiCo this year

[TSemi]

15 Tesla Semi electric trucks are expected to be delivered to PepsiCo this year - Electrek


PepsiCo says that it is expecting 15 Tesla Semi electric trucks by the end of the year, giving us better insights into Tesla’s plan to produce and deliver the electric truck.

The Tesla Semi program has been delayed several times, but it looks like the automaker is finally preparing to start production and deliveries.

Last summer, CEO Elon Musk told employees in an email obtained by Electrek that “it’s time to bring Tesla Semi to volume production” without updating the timeline.

More recently, Tesla has indicated that the electric truck would enter production this year with some deliveries to customers.

We have been seeing some evidence of that actually happening with new Tesla Semi prototypes being spotted for the first time since the original two prototypes unveiled in 2017.

It’s unclear what kind of volume Tesla can achieve with the electric truck program this year, but now we are getting an idea through a project with PepsiCo.

After the launch of Tesla Semi in 2017, PepsiCo placed one of the biggest orders for Tesla Semi: 100 electric trucks to add to their fleet.

The company planned to use some of those trucks for a project to turn its Frito-Lay Modesto, California, site into a zero-emission facility.

Today, PepsiCo issued an update on the project:

“To date, the equipment and infrastructure in place at the site includes nearly 60 tractors, box trucks, yard trucks or forklifts powered by electric, lithium-ion technologies or natural gas with renewable attributes, with the remaining 15 electric tractors expected to deploy later this year. Infrastructure to support the project incorporates an adjacent natural gas station with renewable attributes, as well as solar carports, battery storage, truck charging systems and employee electric vehicle charging stations.”

Those “15 electric tractors” are Tesla Semi trucks, and the company confirmed that they are expected by the end of the year:

15 Tesla Semis are expected to be added to the fleet by the end of 2021.

Tesla has many customers who placed large deposits to reserve their electric trucks, but they weren’t communicated clear timelines for deliveries.

When launching Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker said that the production versions of the electric truck, which is a class 8 truck with an 80,000-lb capacity, will have 300-mile and 500-mile range options for $150,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Tesla is expected to update the specs of the Tesla Semi when unveiling the production version, which could happen soon.

The automaker was recently spotted filming the latest version of the electric truck at its factory.

 

[ThomasD]

Only 71 days, 15 hours, 44 minutes, 42 seconds until the end of the year. Will Pepsi get their trucks?

 

[qdeathstar]

Nope.

 

[Cal1]

Oh ye of little faith. Pepsi should get them in about two weeks!

 

[wooter]

Oh ye of little faith. Pepsi should get them in about two weeks!

Pepsi CEO Expects Tesla Semi-Truck Delivery This Quarter

PepsiCo expects to receive electric trucks from Elon Musk's Tesla this quarter, the food and beverage titan's CEO Ramon Laguarta said Monday

 

[ThomasD]

Maybe they will get those test semis

 

[Bouba]

If the box trailers had their roofs completely covered in solar panels could that keep the tractor charged up?

 

[Stavinski]

If the box trailers had their roofs completely covered in solar panels could that keep the tractor charged up?

If it were parked indefinitely… it’s a strong maybe.

 

[Stavinski]

If it were parked indefinitely… it’s a strong maybe.

Seriously though, maybe 5kW ish system in 320 sq ft, so if you could tilt panels, at best 5 kW without charge losses etc. at 300 Whr/mile in a model Y, you’re providing less than 1/3 of the needed power if you never turn away from perfect sun angle. That’s for a Y, semi won’t even be close to 1/10th with a load, sun angle, driving at night… makes no sense. Fix the panels on the ground aimed perfectly at the sun and supply grid. Charge truck from grid.

 

[Rocky_H]

If the box trailers had their roofs completely covered in solar panels could that keep the tractor charged up?

I don't get why so many people don't seem to get this, that the system of tractor/trailer DEPENDS on the tractor and the trailer being two separate and interchangeable things. They need to be able to switch and swap as needed. So these ideas of solar panels or batteries in the trailers is a non-starter in both directions because these need to work with the thousands of existing trailers that are already out there.

1. You can't have the electric tractor be deficient and rely on needing to use only these trailers that have batteries or solar panels. No one will buy them if they have to use special trailers.

2. Different types of tractors have to sometimes pull the trailers. If a diesel tractor pulls that trailer, it has a lot of extra dead weight of batteries or solar panels that don't do anything but reduce the amount of payload you can carry. Companies won't tolerate that.

So the tractors must be sufficient and capable on their own, with trailers being neutral and standalone.

 

[Bouba]

I don't get why so many people don't seem to get this, that the system of tractor/trailer DEPENDS on the tractor and the trailer being two separate and interchangeable things. They need to be able to switch and swap as needed. So these ideas of solar panels or batteries in the trailers is a non-starter in both directions because these need to work with the thousands of existing trailers that are already out there.

1. You can't have the electric tractor be deficient and rely on needing to use only these trailers that have batteries or solar panels. No one will buy them if they have to use special trailers.

2. Different types of tractors have to sometimes pull the trailers. If a diesel tractor pulls that trailer, it has a lot of extra dead weight of batteries or solar panels that don't do anything but reduce the amount of payload you can carry. Companies won't tolerate that.

So the tractors must be sufficient and capable on their own, with trailers being neutral and standalone.

No, that’s the bit that’s not true. Take pallets for example, they were any bit of wood, now they are universal systems of pallets. But most importantly it’s big companies that are going to be the early adopters. A corporation like Pepsi, takes loads only from Pepsi factories to Pepsi distributors to Pepsi suppliers to Pepsi warehouses. They can workout exactly which truck to do which route depending on range that it’s capable of. At every distribution center there will be identical trailers in Pepsi livery (solar or otherwise) waiting for the return leg. It’s all in-house logistics.
Of course the independent trucker who is flexible and carries any load any distance is frozen out. For now. Just like an electric car can’t suite every customer’s need. For now

 

[Rocky_H]

No, that’s the bit that’s not true. Take pallets for example, they were any bit of wood, now they are universal systems of pallets.

Huh? I really don't get where you're going with that, and it actually matches my point, not yours. Pallets are just objects, and they can be made out of lots of different types of materials, but they need to keep that main functional feature for interchangeability and usability, where they have two parallel hollow slots underneath so that all the existing pallet jacks and forklifts can use them. New pallets can be made a little differently, but need to keep that interchangeability to work with the existing system of equipment that are made to work with them.

But most importantly it’s big companies that are going to be the early adopters. A corporation like Pepsi, takes loads only from Pepsi factories to Pepsi distributors to Pepsi suppliers to Pepsi warehouses. They can workout exactly which truck to do which route depending on range that it’s capable of. At every distribution center there will be identical trailers in Pepsi livery (solar or otherwise) waiting for the return leg. It’s all in-house logistics.

Granted. Large enough fleets do own their own of both ends of these. But it doesn't drive the conclusion you want.

Of course the independent trucker who is flexible and carries any load any distance is frozen out. For now. Just like an electric car can’t suite every customer’s need. For now

And these emphasize my point. Tesla and other electric semi companies are not going to build the extra "charge from a powered trailer" features and parts and design into their products. They want this to be for widespread use, for all types of customers, so their tractors are going to be independent and wholly fully functional all by themselves. Putting this in just SCREAMS to the public that the truck is a failure and can't operate on its own without needing a crutch and band-aid from having to haul around this oxygen tank for its emphysema, if I could make that analogy. I mean EVs having to pull around battery trailers has already been a joke among haters to ridicule electric vehicles for a long time. They would never want to do that.

It has way too many downsides and extra costs for something that even in the best of circumstances only has tiny marginally beneficial effect, and EVEN THAT for only a small subset of potential customers.

It's definitely not going to happen.

 

[Bouba]

Huh? I really don't get where you're going with that, and it actually matches my point, not yours. Pallets are just objects, and they can be made out of lots of different types of materials, but they need to keep that main functional feature for interchangeability and usability, where they have two parallel hollow slots underneath so that all the existing pallet jacks and forklifts can use them. New pallets can be made a little differently, but need to keep that interchangeability to work with the existing system of equipment that are made to work with them.


Granted. Large enough fleets do own their own of both ends of these. But it doesn't drive the conclusion you want.

And these emphasize my point. Tesla and other electric semi companies are not going to build the extra "charge from a powered trailer" features and parts and design into their products. They want this to be for widespread use, for all types of customers, so their tractors are going to be independent and wholly fully functional all by themselves. Putting this in just SCREAMS to the public that the truck is a failure and can't operate on its own without needing a crutch and band-aid from having to haul around this oxygen tank for its emphysema, if I could make that analogy. I mean EVs having to pull around battery trailers has already been a joke among haters to ridicule electric vehicles for a long time. They would never want to do that.

It has way too many downsides and extra costs for something that even in the best of circumstances only has tiny marginally beneficial effect, and EVEN THAT for only a small subset of potential customers.

It's definitely not going to happen.

Technology is always at different stages. For me when a Tesla could do 600 km I got one. Others will wait till the range is a 1000 km others were happy to jump in at 300. For Pepsi (for example) the present stage, with reduced load, short range and long charging time maybe a good point to jump in. The loss is offset by having green credentials for example or being a good corporate citizen. Other companies have different needs and will wait until shorter charging time or lower price etc. Everyone will enter the game at a time that fits their business model.
All I’m saying is, despite the drawbacks to the present electric truck technology, there will be early adopters. There always are

 

[Rocky_H]

Technology is always at different stages. For me when a Tesla could do 600 km I got one. Others will wait till the range is a 1000 km others were happy to jump in at 300. For Pepsi (for example) the present stage, with reduced load, short range and long charging time maybe a good point to jump in. The loss is offset by having green credentials for example or being a good corporate citizen. Other companies have different needs and will wait until shorter charging time or lower price etc. Everyone will enter the game at a time that fits their business model.
All I’m saying is, despite the drawbacks to the present electric truck technology, there will be early adopters. There always are

All of that is only sensible rationale for why companies will be producing electric tractors--and they are doing that. It doesn't give any reason to break the tractor/trailer paradigm.

 

[ThomasD]

I wonder if Pepsi pay for megachargers to be installed at franchised pepsi bottling companies and warehouses. Maybe these trucks will be used at their main plant in North Carolina

 

[Dcam]

15 Tesla Semi electric trucks are expected to be delivered to PepsiCo this year - Electrek


PepsiCo says that it is expecting 15 Tesla Semi electric trucks by the end of the year, giving us better insights into Tesla’s plan to produce and deliver the electric truck.

The Tesla Semi program has been delayed several times, but it looks like the automaker is finally preparing to start production and deliveries.

Last summer, CEO Elon Musk told employees in an email obtained by Electrek that “it’s time to bring Tesla Semi to volume production” without updating the timeline.

More recently, Tesla has indicated that the electric truck would enter production this year with some deliveries to customers.

We have been seeing some evidence of that actually happening with new Tesla Semi prototypes being spotted for the first time since the original two prototypes unveiled in 2017.

It’s unclear what kind of volume Tesla can achieve with the electric truck program this year, but now we are getting an idea through a project with PepsiCo.

After the launch of Tesla Semi in 2017, PepsiCo placed one of the biggest orders for Tesla Semi: 100 electric trucks to add to their fleet.

The company planned to use some of those trucks for a project to turn its Frito-Lay Modesto, California, site into a zero-emission facility.

Today, PepsiCo issued an update on the project:


Those “15 electric tractors” are Tesla Semi trucks, and the company confirmed that they are expected by the end of the year:


Tesla has many customers who placed large deposits to reserve their electric trucks, but they weren’t communicated clear timelines for deliveries.

When launching Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker said that the production versions of the electric truck, which is a class 8 truck with an 80,000-lb capacity, will have 300-mile and 500-mile range options for $150,000 and $180,000, respectively.

Tesla is expected to update the specs of the Tesla Semi when unveiling the production version, which could happen soon.

The automaker was recently spotted filming the latest version of the electric truck at its factory.

Does that equate to 45 natural gas tractors?

 

[ThomasD]

4 days to go

 

[AMPd]

Well, can’t say I’m surprised, at least “Elon time” is affecting everyone equally. From the smallest to the largest customer.

 

[ThomasD]

Still have 10 hours to go California time

 

[ThomasD]

No Semi for you Pepsi