The push for electric vehicles has taken the consumer market by storm in recent years. Now, automotive and energy-efficient giant Tesla will be expanding the electrification revolution to serve our logistics needs as well.
Arriving no later than early 2026, the company has announced the commercial launch of a Tesla Semi vehicle that will make logistics fleets more efficient and environmentally friendly, as Teslarati reported. Through a partnership with PepsiCo, the food and beverage corporation is piloting 21 of them to test the performance of these battery electric vehicles.
The partnership allows both companies to reach their goals of reducing harmful air pollution as the energy-efficient truck continues its way toward mass production. To demonstrate commitment to the launch, Tesla shared that a Semi production facility is being built in Nevada near a Tesla Gigafactory, costing up to $3.6 billion for development.
"So we're finalizing the engineering of the Semi to enable … a super cost-effective high volume production with our learnings from our fleet and pilot fleet and Pepsi's fleet, which we're expanding this year marginally," said Tesla's VP of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy on an earnings call, per Teslarati.
According to Tesla's website, the Semi consumes less than two kilowatt hours of energy per mile and recovers up to 70% of its range in 30 minutes when using the company's Semi Chargers.
The scaled production of the Semi is an example of Tesla's vehicle pipeline, including the latest versions of the Model 3 and Model Y. The Model Y in 2023 sold more than 250,000 units across Europe, becoming the first EV to be the continent's best-selling vehicle of the year, as Motor1.com reported. It went on to be the best-selling car worldwide in 2023.
Since battery electric vehicles are powered by electricity, unlike traditional gas guzzlers, they do not release exhaust from a tailpipe. The Los Angeles Times reported that researchers from UC Berkeley found planet-warming gases declined by 1.8% annually in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2018 to 2022, attributed to the purchases of EVs.
While EVs make air cleaner for communities, they can also save people money — the U.S. Treasury Department recently released guidelines for an EV tax incentive that can save consumers up to $7,500.
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Tesla sees the opportunity to make transportation more affordable and planet-friendly through EV technology.
"What we are likely to see is the 'best' battery powered trucks will ramp up quickly because a lot of companies will line up to buy the product," said one Teslarati commenter.
"It isn't perfect, but there is no better alternative," added another.
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