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Tesla showcases Semi truck to PepsiCo employees in private event

[Credit: u/stevejust via Reddit]

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After making an appearance at the Dallas Service Center, the Tesla Semi was spotted at a private demo event for PepsiCo employees at Reunion Tower, one of the city’s landmarks. The gathering was reportedly a demo of the electric truck for the snack and beverage company, which had placed orders for 100 Semis back in December.

Reports of the electric truck being spotted at Reunion Tower emerged in the forum community on Tuesday night, with several Texas-based members of the r/TeslaMotors subreddit sharing images of the vehicle as it was parked in front of the building. Ryan O’Donnell, one of the subreddit’s members, was able to check out the Semi as it was being showcased to PepsiCo’s employees. According to O’Donnell, the gathering was very small and private, with only around 200-300 people being present as Tesla gave a demo of the electric truck.

O’Donnell was able to capture almost a dozen close-up photographs showing the Tesla Semi’s four Model 3-based electric motors, its brakes, and its incredibly low ground clearance. The Elon Musk-led firm was very careful about the tech inside the electric long-hauler, however, as no photos of the truck’s twin displays, its navigation system, or its battery information were allowed to be taken.

Nevertheless, O’Donnell’s images of the Tesla Semi’s exterior and motors are among the most detailed ones yet. A gallery of these pictures could be found below.

As we noted in a previous report, the Tesla Semi’s appearance in Dallas, TX, appears to be part of the electric car and energy company’s initiative to showcase the electric truck to some of its clients. PepsiCo, after all, has several facilities in the region, including the corporate headquarters of Frito-Lay, the company’s snack food subsidiary. PepsiCo Sr. Director of Environmental Sustainability Al Halvorsen, who plays a huge part in the company’s current green initiatives, is also based in Dallas.

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With Halvorsen at the lead, PepsiCo’s green projects have achieved several milestones over the past few years, such as the company’s Frito-Lay facility in Casa Grande, AZ becoming a “Near Net Zero” manufacturing plant, recycling up to 75% of its water and using up to 80% less gas. With this in mind, PepsiCo’s reservations for the Tesla Semi, a potential disruptor in the transportation industry, is well in line with the company’s current environmentally-friendly initiatives.

If any, the initial orders for the Tesla Semi are reportedly just the start of PepsiCo’s transition to a fully sustainable fleet of delivery vehicles. According to O’Donnell, one of the PepsiCo employees he was able to speak with during the demo event remarked that the 100 orders for the Semi were just “a drop in the bucket” for how many units the company is looking to order in the future.

The Tesla Semi recently visited another one of its biggest buyers last week as well, with the electric long-hauler making an appearance at Anheuser-Busch’s brewery in St. Louis, MO. Just like PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch has also committed to the Tesla Semi, ordering 40 electric trucks from the Elon Musk-led company.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Model Y has become the most common vehicle in Norway

The Tesla Model Y passed more than 70,000 registrations recently.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Model Y has become the most common car on Norwegian roads. This is a remarkable achievement for the all-electric crossover, which has also commanded the top spot in Norway’s vehicle sales rankings for several years running.

Model Y Domination

As per vehicle registration figures tracked by the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV), there were 68,378 Model Ys with Norwegian license plates at the end of March/beginning of April 2025. In recent weeks, the Model Y passed more than 70,000 registrations, as per a report from Elbil24.

With the Model Y now becoming the most common car in Norway, the Toyota Rav4 now stands in second place, followed by the Nissan Leaf, the Volkswagen Golf, and the Toyota Yaris. The Model Y also topped the country’s vehicle registration rankings for the last three years, and it set a record for selling the most vehicles in a year in 2023, breaking the Volkswagen Beetle’s record that has stood since 1969.

Possibly More Momentum

It is undeniable that the Tesla Model Y has helped Norway push its electric vehicle transition. As of date, electric vehicles now account for 28% of the Norwegian car fleet, a notable portion of which is comprised of the all-electric crossover.

While the Model Y’s achievements in Norway have been impressive, the vehicle could expand its reach into the country even more this year. Tesla, after all, has been aggressively pushing the new Model Y to consumers, with the company offering a zero percent interest promotion for the vehicle. These efforts, as well as the new Model Y’s improved features, should make the vehicle even more compelling to Norwegian car buyers this year.

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Tesla Board Chair slams Wall Street Journal over alleged CEO search report

Denholm’s comments were posted by Tesla on its official account on social media platform X.

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robyn-m-denholm-tesla
CeBIT Australia, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm has issued a stern correction to The Wall Street Journal after the publication posted a report alleging that the electric vehicle maker’s Board of Directors opened a search for a new CEO to replace Elon Musk.

Denholm’s comments were posted by Tesla on its official account on social media platform X. 

The WSJ’s Allegations

Citing people reportedly familiar with the discussions, the WSJ alleged that Tesla Board members reached out to several executive search firms to work on a formal process for finding Elon Musk’s successor. The publication also alleged that tensions had been mounting at Tesla due to the company’s dropping sales and profits, as well as the time Musk has been spending with DOGE.

The publication also alleged that Elon Musk had met with the Tesla Board about the matter, and that members told the CEO that he needed to spend more time on Tesla. Musk was reportedly instructed to state his intentions publicly as well. The CEO did not push back against the Board, the WSJ claimed. 

Elon Musk did announce that he is stepping back from his day-to-day role at the Department of Government Efficiency during the Tesla Q1 2025 earnings call. Musk’s announcement was embraced by Tesla investors and analysts, many of whom felt that the CEO’s renewed focus on the EV maker could push the company to greater heights. 

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Tesla and Musk’s Response

In response to The Wall Street Journal’s report, Tesla’s official account on X shared a comment from its Board Chair. In her comment, Denham noted that the WSJ‘s report was “absolutely false.” She also highlighted that Tesla had communicated this fact to the publication before the report was published, but the Journal ran the story anyway.

“Earlier today, there was a media report erroneously claiming that the Tesla Board had contacted recruitment firms to initiate a CEO search at the company. This is absolutely false (and this was communicated to the media before the report was published). The CEO of Tesla is Elon Musk and the Board is highly confident in his ability to continue executing on the exciting growth plan ahead,” Denholm stated.

Elon Musk himself commented on the matter, stating that the publication showed an “extremely bad breach of ethics” since the report did not even include the Tesla Board of Directors’ denial of the allegations. “It is an EXTREMELY BAD BREACH OF ETHICS that the WSJ would publish a DELIBERATELY FALSE ARTICLE and fail to include an unequivocal denial beforehand by the Tesla board of directors!” Musk wrote in a post on X.

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Elon Musk is now a remote DOGE worker: White House Chief of Staff

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is no longer working from the West Wing.

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Credit: Elon Musk/X

In a conversation with the New York Post, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles stated that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is no longer working from the West Wing.

As per the Chief of Staff, Musk is still working for DOGE—as a remote worker, at least.

Remote Musk

In her conversation with the publication, Wiles stated that she still talks with Musk. And while the CEO is now working remotely, his contributions still have the same net effect. 

“Instead of meeting with him in person, I’m talking to him on the phone, but it’s the same net effect,” Wiles stated, adding that “it really doesn’t matter much” that the CEO “hasn’t been here physically.” She also noted that Musk’s team will not be leaving.

“He’s not out of it altogether. He’s just not physically present as much as he was. The people that are doing this work are here doing good things and paying attention to the details. He’ll be stepping back a little, but he’s certainly not abandoning it. And his people are definitely not,” Wiles stated.

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Back to Tesla

Musk has been a frequent presence in the White House during the Trump administration’s first 100 days in office. But during the Q1 2025 Tesla earnings call, Musk stated that he would be spending substantially less time with DOGE and substantially more time with Tesla. Musk did emphasize, however, that DOGE’s work is extremely valuable and critical.

“I think I’ll continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to do so and as long as it is useful. But starting next month, I’ll be allocating probably more of my time to Tesla and now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done,” Musk stated.

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