Tesla chief executive Elon Musk delivered the company's first heavy-duty semi to PepsiCo on Thursday December 1 without any updates on the cargo-hauling truck's pricing or production plans.
Musk, who appeared at Tesla's Nevada plant, said the battery-powered, long-haul truck would reduce highway emissions, outperform existing diesel models on power and safety and spin off a fast-charging technology Tesla would use in its upcoming Cybertruck pickup.
If you want the most badass rig on the road, this is it, Musk said, noting that it was five years since Tesla announced it was developing the all-electric truck. Industry experts remain skeptical that battery electric trucks can take the strain of hauling hefty loads for hundreds of miles economically.
At the Thursday event, Tesla didn't reveal pricing for the Semi, it didn't reveal anything about variants of the truck it had originally projected or supply a forecast for deliveries to PepsiCo or other customers. Tesla said it would begin using the Semi to ship parts to its plant in Fremont, California.
In 2017, Tesla said that the 300 mile range version of the Semi would cost US $150,000 and the 500 mile version US $180,000, but Tesla's passenger electric vehicle prices have gone up sharply since then.
PepsiCo ordered 100 trucks in 2017 after it completed its first cargo run with the truck.
Brewer Anheuser-Busch, United Parcel Service and Walmart were among the other companies that had reserved the Semi.
Musk said the Semi has been doing testing runs between Tesla's Sparks, Nevada factory and its plant in Fremont, California. Tesla said it had completed a 500 mile drive on a single charge with a Semi weighing in at 81,000 pounds in total, without giving a breakdown of cargo weights.