Tesla Semi completes 800km trip with full load, Musk says

Tesla has completed an 800km drive of its soon-to-be-delivered electric Semi with more than 36 tonnes in gross vehicle weight. 

That’s according to a tweet by chief executive Elon Musk on November 27.

This follows an earlier tweet by Musk in October which said first deliveries of the truck are set for food and beverage corporation PepsiCo on December 1. 

The Semi is expected to reach zero to 100km/h in five seconds, have up to 800km in range and pull a maximum allowable load of over 36,000kgs.

Prices for the truck, depending on range options, are expected to be US$150,000 and US$180,000.

PepsiCo says the trucks will be used at its Frito-Lay plant in Modesto, California, and its PepsiCo beverages factory in Sacramento. 

It was not confirmed how many Semi Trucks would be going into production, but in 2017 PepsiCo placed the world’s largest pre-order for 100 of the newly unveiled electric trucks.

The company says it’s part of PepsiCo’s effort to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions during the distribution of sodas and snacks to retailers. At the time the order was announced, PepsiCo estimated it had around 10,000 diesel trucks in its US fleet. 

Walmart Canada is another firm that has placed a large reservation for the truck and last year more than tripled its order to 130 units.