Tesla Inc. has started production of its long delayed Semi electric commercial truck and PepsiCo will receive the first deliveries on Dec. 1, CEO Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday.
In a follow-up tweet, Musk said the Semi would have 500 miles of range and would be “super fun to drive.”
The Austin, Texas-based manufacturer originally announced the launch of the Semi in 2017 and said the Class 8 truck would go into production by 2019. However, the Semi program suffered repeated delays, including the departure of a key executive and supply chain issues.
Mass production of the Semi is expected to take place at Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory, which also produces the Model Y electric vehicle.
The Semi was previously priced at $150,000 for the 300-mile range version and $180,000 for the 500-mile truck, according to previous information on the Tesla website. It’s unclear if prices have changed.
The Semi will be able to accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 20 seconds for a fully loaded truck with a combined gross combination weight of 82,000 pounds, according to Tesla. The estimated fuel savings versus a conventional diesel-powered truck is $200,000 over three years.
In August, the Tesla website showed updated photographs of the Semi interior. The company also closed its orderbook for the Semi on its website in August after taking $20,000 deposits for a few months.
The Semi has attracted thousands of orders from fleets. PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay is in line to receive the first trucks. The company had expected delivery of 15 Semis by the end of 2021. Tesla has already installed a Mega Charger on Frito-Lay’s distribution site in Modesto, California.
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