Tesla Set To Deliver The First Semi To Pepsi
In 2017, Elon Musk showed us what the Tesla Semi would look like for the first time. Musk promised that the battery would cover up to 500 miles while hauling a maximum weight of 80,000 pounds. Tesla would also build mega charger stations that would make it possible to charge the Tesla Semi for thirty minutes to add a range of 400 miles on the battery. The Tesla Semi was supposed to be manufactured in 2019, but that never happened.
Tesla blamed the production delay on supply chain issues and battery constraints. Tesla also had to expand its Nevada Gigafactory before working on the Tesla Semi. Since it became operational, the Nevada Gigafactory has assembled over 1 million battery packs (via Inside EVs). However, not a single Tesla Semi has yet to be dispatched from its production facility in Nevada delivered to a customer. Well, today is the D-day that Tesla Semi will drive out of the factory.
Tesla is delivering the Tesla Semi today
In October, Tesla's CEO revealed that the production of the Tesla Semi had begun, and it was bound to be delivered today. Tesla has already started the countdown, and we expect the unveiling event to go down at the Nevada factory. The electric truck will be dispatched to Pepsi, which had ordered 100 units. Investor reports that Tesla's stock price increased by 7.7% on Wednesday, probably in anticipation of Tesla's Semi first delivery.
Musk tweeted on Saturday that the "Tesla team just completed a 500-mile drive with a Tesla Semi weighing in at 81,000 lbs!" However, considering that Musk said that the company is dealing with supply chain issues and market inflation, it's unclear if Tesla will stick to the original $180,000 price it intended to sell at when it was announced in 2017. Then again, Tesla offers a cheaper Semi that will be available for about $150,000 — but it can only achieve up to 300 miles at full load capacity. For now, we can only wait until it's on the road to confirm if the specs match up to what was promised five years ago.