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Tesla’s first-ever Semi ‘Megacharger’ to be installed at Frito-Lay’s Modesto plant

(Credit: Joseph Mathew via Jeff Nisewanger)

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Tesla’s first-ever ‘Megacharger’ for the all-electric Semi will be installed at Frito-Lay’s Modesto, California plant, according to documents.

After being unveiled in November 2017, Tesla received hundreds of pre-orders for the Semi, its first all-electric commercial vehicle. Frito-Lay was one of the first, as its parent company, PepsiCo, reserved 100 Tesla Semis on December 12th, 2017.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Frito-Lay would be receiving 15 Tesla Semis before the end of 2021. It was a massive announcement because Tesla has delayed the Semi project on several occasions due to battery constraints. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced last year to company employees in a leaked email that it was time to begin “volume production” of the Semi. However, nothing really ever came of it because the demand for Tesla’s passenger vehicles was through the roof. Instead, the automaker chose to focus on ramping up the production of the Model 3 and Model Y and expanding its production footprint to Europe and Texas.

Now, documents reveal that Frito-Lay is planning for the imminent delivery of the Tesla Semi units. @MarcoRPTesla uncovered several planning documents that indicate Frito-Lay will install the first-ever Tesla Semi Megacharger at its Modesto, California, plant. According to the documents, Frito-Lay is also plotting out some space for designated parking areas for the Tesla Semi.

It was first reported on Saturday, May 22nd, by DriveTeslaCanada that Frito-Lay would be installing the first Megacharger on-site at the Modesto facility.

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The Megacharger was first announced at the Semi’s unveiling event in late 2017. Musk said that Tesla would implement a worldwide network of Megachargers that would be solar-powered and would provide 400 miles of range in only 30 minutes of charging. This would be accomplished due to an output of over one megawatt. Due to the excessive output of energy, Tesla also filed a patent in late 2019 for a liquid-cooled charging connector, similar to those used in Tesla’s V3 Superchargers.

Tesla confirmed during the Q1 2021 Earnings Call that Semi production would begin later this year. After announcing that production would begin in late 2020, Tesla pushed back the anticipated start dates of production due to battery worries. “Demand is no problem, but near-term cell supply makes it hard to scale Semi,” Musk said in March 2021. “This limitation will be less onerous next year.”

The CEO also commented on the demand during the Q3 2020 Earnings Call, where he said:

“We need to solve the cell constraint before ramping Semi to significant volume. That’s the only real constraint on Semi’s progress.”

Because of the looming installation of the first-ever Megacharger, it appears that the Tesla Semi will make its way to Frito-Lay as expected later this year.

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What do you think? Let us know in the comments below, or be sure to email me at joey@teslarati.com or on Twitter @KlenderJoey.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Elon Musk

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announces major update with texting and driving on FSD

“Depending on context of surrounding traffic, yes,” Musk said in regards to FSD v14.2.1 allowing texting and driving.

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Credit: carwow/YouTube

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced a major update with texting and driving capabilities on Full Self-Driving v14.2.1, the company’s latest version of the FSD suite.

Tesla Full Self-Driving, even in its most mature and capable versions, is still a Level 2 autonomous driving suite, meaning it requires attention from the vehicle operator.

You cannot sleep, and you should not take attention away from driving; ultimately, you are still solely responsible for what happens with the car.

The vehicles utilize a cabin-facing camera to enable attention monitoring, and if you take your eyes off the road for too long, you will be admonished and advised to pay attention. After five strikes, FSD and Autopilot will be disabled.

However, Musk announced at the Annual Shareholder Meeting in early November that the company would look at the statistics, but it aimed to allow people to text and drive “within the next month or two.”

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He said:

“I am confident that, within the next month or two, we’re gonna look at the safety statistics, but we will allow you to text and drive.”

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Today, Musk confirmed that the current version of Full Self-Driving, which is FSD v14.2.1, does allow for texting and driving “depending on context of surrounding traffic.”

There are some legitimate questions with this capability, especially as laws in all 50 U.S. states specifically prohibit texting and driving. It will be interesting to see the legality of it, because if a police officer sees you texting, they won’t know that you’re on Full Self-Driving, and you’ll likely be pulled over.

Some states prohibit drivers from even holding a phone when the car is in motion.

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It is certainly a move toward unsupervised Full Self-Driving operation, but it is worth noting that Musk’s words state it will only allow the vehicle operator to do it depending on the context of surrounding traffic.

He did not outline any specific conditions that FSD would allow a driver to text and drive.

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Tesla Semi just got a huge vote of confidence from 300-truck fleet

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

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Credit: Tesla

The Tesla Semi is moving closer to broader fleet adoption, with Keller Logistics Group wrapping up a key pre-production planning session with the electric vehicle maker’s team this week. 

The confidential meeting marks a major step for the mid-sized carrier in evaluating the electric truck for its regional routes.

Keller’s pre-production Tesla Semi sessions

Keller Logistics Group, a family-owned carrier with over 300 tractors and 1,000 trailers operating in the Midwest and Southeast, completed the session to assess the Tesla Semi’s fit for its operations. The company’s routes typically span 500-600 miles per day, positioning it as an ideal tester for the Semi’s day cab configuration in standard logistics scenarios. 

Details remain under mutual NDA, but the meeting reportedly focused on matching the truck to yard, shuttle and regional applications while scrutinizing economics like infrastructure, maintenance and incentives.

What Keller’s executives are saying

CEO Bryan Keller described the approach as methodical. “For us, staying ahead isn’t a headline, it’s a habit. From electrification and yard automation to digital visibility and warehouse technology, our teams are continually pressure-testing what’s next. The Tesla Semi discussion is one more way we evaluate new tools against our standards for safety, uptime, and customer ROI. We don’t chase trends, we pressure-test what works,” Keller said. 

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Benjamin Pierce, Chief Strategy Officer, echoed these sentiments. “Electrification and next-generation powertrains are part of a much broader transformation. Whether it’s proprietary yard systems like YardLink™, solar and renewable logistics solutions, or real-time vehicle intelligence, Keller’s approach stays the same, test it, prove it, and deploy it only when it strengthens service and total cost for our customers,” Pierce said. 

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Tesla extends FSD Supervised ride-alongs in Europe by three months

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

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Credit: Grok Imagine

Tesla appears to be doubling down on its European Full Self-Driving (Supervised) push, with the company extending its demo ride-along program by three months until the end of March 2026. The update seems to have been implemented due to overwhelming demand. 

Needless to say, it does appear that FSD fever is starting to catch in Europe. 

Extended FSD demonstrations

Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager Ivan Komušanac shared on LinkedIn that the company is offering ride-along experiences in Germany, France and Italy while working toward FSD (Supervised) approval in Europe.

He noted that this provides a great feedback opportunity from the general public, encouraging participants to record and share their experiences. For those unable to book in December, Komušanac teased more slots as “Christmas presents.”

Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt highlighted the extension on X, stating that dates now run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, in multiple cities including Stuttgart-Weinstadt, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf in Germany. This suggests that the FSD ride-along program in Europe has officially been extended until the end of the first quarter of 2026. 

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Building momentum for European approval

Replies to Merritt’s posts buzzed with excitement, with users like @AuzyMale noting that Cologne and Düsseldorf are already fully booked. This sentiment was echoed by numerous other Tesla enthusiasts on social media. Calls for the program’s expansion to other European territories have also started gaining steam, with some X users suggesting Switzerland and Finland as the next locations for FSD ride-alongs.

Ultimately, the Tesla EU Policy and Business Development Manager’s post aligns with the company’s broader FSD efforts in Europe. As per recent reports, Tesla recently demonstrated FSD’s capabilities for Rome officials. Reporters from media outlets in France and Germany have also published positive reviews of FSD’s capabilities on real-world roads. 

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