Tesla is set to deliver 15 all-electric Semis to PepsiCo by the end of 2021, according to reports. Earlier today, PepsiCo released a press release titled, “Frito-Lay Cuts Absolute Fleet Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) in Half, Reduces Diesel Usage by 78 Percent at California Production Site,” entailing the steps it has taken to cut GHG emissions by 53%.
The rollout comes after the company ordered 100 Tesla Semis in 2017 and is part of the brand’s mission to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent by 2030, the company said in a news release.
Following the published press release, Electrek reported that PepsiCo confirmed the 15 electric tractors would, in fact, be the Tesla Semi, the long-awaited all-electric commercial vehicle from the world’s leading electric automaker. Interestingly, the news comes right after a Piper Sandler investors note that was released earlier this week that detailed the possibility of a stock sell-off in the instance that Tesla would delay deliveries of the Semi or Cybertruck.
Commenting on the development Michael O’Connell, vice president of supply chain at PepsiCo said in a statement, “Frito-Lay is continuously looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact.
The Modesto project is indicative of our commitment to sustainable business practices that lead to innovation, increased productivity, operational excellence, and business growth. We are grateful for the support of San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, CARB, and CCI in making this important project happen. We hope this work will become an operating model for all of our facilities across the US, and that we act as the catalyst to accelerate adoption of alternative fuel vehicles across the industry.”
The Semi has been delayed on several occasions; Tesla has cited battery constraint issues as the main factory for the delays. However, the company has been accelerating its efforts to release the Semi. This year, the Semi has been spotted several times on public roads for testing, and Tesla has also been running the vehicle on its Fremont Factory test track.
As per PepsiCo’s filing with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District “(Tesla) will deliver 15 highly anticipated Tesla Semis along with battery electric truck charging infrastructure, a large-scale solar PV system, and two energy storage systems for facility peak shaving and heavy-duty electric truck charging.” The Multinational food giant further said they expect the project to be completed by 2021.
At the launch of Tesla Semi in 2017, the electric vehicle company confirmed that the production versions of electric truck, which is a class 8 truck with a 80,000-lb capacity, will have 300-mile and 500-mile range options for $150,000 and $180,000, respectively. However, some media reports suggest that it was supposed to be released in 2019, but it has been delayed.
The company is focusing on bringing the Model Y to market, and it is forcing Tesla to delay the launch of the production version of the Tesla Semi until the end of next year, as per Electrek report.
