PepsiCo secures largest Tesla Semi truck order to date at 100 reservations

Snack and beverage giant, PepsiCo, will be adding 100 Tesla Semi trucks to its fleet, as part of a company initiative to reduce fuel costs and reduce its environmental impact. The reservation of 100 all-electric trucks represents Tesla’s largest pre-order to date, joining Anheuser-Busch, Walmart, Sysco, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services as other major companies that are looking to lead the industry with a greener supply chain.

Tesla has secured a total of 267 semi-truck orders, thus far, according to a tally conducted by Reuters.

The initial 100 Tesla Semi orders by PepsiCo represents a small fraction of its total U.S. fleet of roughly 10,000 big rigs, but nevertheless will play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its supply chain. According to senior director of North American supply chain for PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay, Mike O‘Connell, the company has a goal to reduce emissions across its fleet by at least 20 percent before 2030.

Tesla Semi trucks will transport snacks and beverages for leading brands like Mountain Dew, Doritos, Cheetos, 7-Up, amongst others, between manufacturing facilities and distribution centers.

With an all-electric range of 500 miles, Tesla’s semi-truck looks to disrupt the commercial trucking industry by producing a cost-efficient and safer means of transportation that will also have Bugatti-beating specifications.

Tesla’s all-electric truck with Megacharging capabilities can accelerate at several factors quicker than a traditional diesel truck while carrying a full 80,000 lb. load. The Semi can also traverse a 5% gradient at 65 mph, compared to 45 mph for diesel trucks. In addition to having “BAMF Performance”, Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted during the semi-truck’s official unveiling event that it’s also built with redundancy in mind. “You can lose two of the four motors, and the truck will still keep going. In fact, even if you have only two of the four motors active it will still beat a diesel truck.”

In addition to having unparalleled performance by way of its four electric motors derived from the Model 3, the Tesla Semi will also have semi-autonomous driving capabilities. Manufacturers that have traditionally built their shipping and logistics models based on human capabilities will be able to better manage their manpower costs, while increasing efficiency at safer levels across the organization through the truck’s convoy mode.

PepsiCo’s executive, O‘Connell, said the company will likely incorporate the Tesla Semi into its supply chain for lighter loads or shorter shipments of heavier loads like beverages.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveils a 300-mile and 500-mile semi-truck at its Los Angeles-based Design Center