Tesla’s electric semitrucks, which were built for PepsiCo’s plant in Sacramento, California, have been given a tour by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE). The NACFE has released a video showcasing the facility and providing information about how PepsiCo utilizes its fleet of 21 electric semis. However, the embedded content of the video may not be available in all regions.
According to Amanda DeVoe, Pepsi’s transformation and strategy director, the company has found that running the trucks for approximately 12 hours a day on routes under 100 miles is most advantageous. Additionally, three of the semis are dedicated to longer routes of 250 to 450 miles, utilizing Tesla Megachargers along the way. These chargers reportedly allow the trucks to go from 5% to 95% charged in just 20 to 30 minutes.
One notable feature of Tesla’s semitrucks is their regenerative braking technology, which enables them to be used on challenging routes such as the Donner Pass. Dejan Antunović, Pepsi’s electrification program manager, explained in the video that the trucks can “zero out” their state of charge on the return trip from Sacramento to Nevada, thanks to regenerative braking. This feature extends the trucks’ range in a valuable way.
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks account for only 4% of vehicles in the United States but consume 25% of total highway fuel and produce nearly 30% of highway carbon emissions, according to the Department of Energy. Stricter standards on smog-forming emissions for trucks will be implemented in 2027, potentially leading companies to adopt electric alternatives like Tesla’s fleet.
Comments on the news article reporting the tour were generally positive, with many commenters expressing optimism about the performance of the trucks and the future of electric trucks overall. One commenter noted the importance of considering that the information presented by the companies may be filtered but still acknowledged that the technology is working and will continue to evolve rapidly.
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