On August 17th, PepsiCo used 21 Tesla Semi electric trucks at a bottling plant in Sacramento, California. The company presented a video showcasing the daily logistics operations of these all-electric trucks, including information on energy consumption, kinetic energy recovery, and range. Tesla has not yet released detailed technical data on the Semi.
Tesla has only delivered a small number of Semi electric trucks, most of which are believed to have been delivered to PepsiCo, the first company to order Tesla Semis five and a half years ago. Tesla began delivering Semis in early December 2022. According to a recall notice issued by the US NHTSA agency in June, PepsiCo has received 36 of the ordered 100 Semis, 15 of which are operating at Frito-Lay’s factory in Modesto, California, and the other 21 are operating at the main location in Sacramento.
The video confirms that four Tesla chargers have been installed at the Sacramento location, with each charger having a charging power of 750 kilowatts, which can charge the battery to 80% in less than 45 minutes. The video also mentions that the Semi can be charged from 5-10% to 95% in 20 to 30 minutes.
PepsiCo uses 18 of the 21 Tesla Semis for multi-site delivery work within a radius of 100 miles (about 160.93 kilometers) – split into two shifts, each lasting up to 12 hours. Amanda DeVoe, PepsiCo’s Director of Transformation and Strategy, said that using electric vehicles for these short-distance transports between the company’s bottling warehouse and distribution points in Sacramento is particularly suitable. However, according to Dejan Antunovic, PepsiCo’s project manager for electrification, the remaining three trucks will definitely be used for long-distance transport of 250 to 450 miles (about 400 to 725 kilometers). Tesla officially states that the Semi electric truck can travel more than 800 kilometers when fully loaded.
The video also mentions the kinetic energy recovery of the Tesla Semi. Antunovic said that the Tesla truck can achieve energy balance through kinetic energy recovery when returning from Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The project manager also revealed a specific energy consumption figure, stating that PepsiCo’s use of the Tesla Semi consumes an average of 1.7 kilowatt hours of energy per mile, which is equivalent to 1.1 kilowatt hours per kilometer. According to Tesla’s website, the Semi consumes less than 2 kilowatt hours per mile.
Regarding other known information about the Tesla Semi, the vehicle’s batteries can be charged at a rate of 1 megawatt (1000 kilowatts) due to its 1000-volt system. Therefore, the charging speed limit for vehicles in Sacramento is the 750-kilowatt charger, not the vehicle itself. Like the Plaid versions of Model S and Model X, the Tesla Semi has a drive system consisting of three electric motors, one for maximum efficiency at constant speed and the other two for acceleration.
Tesla still has not provided an official price for the Semi, nor any official details about payload, battery capacity, drive system performance, or when mass production will begin. More information about the Semi may be announced in September.
