PepsiCo rolled out 18 brand-new Tesla Semis in April at its bottling plant in Sacramento, California. These are the first batch of what will eventually be a fleet of 100 electric trucks, which the beverage company originally ordered from Tesla in 2017.
The shiny new Tesla Semis will not only be used in Sacramento, but PepsiCo will also put the trucks to work at a Frito-Lay factory in Modesto, California, InsideEVs reports.
Collectively, there will be 21 Tesla trucks delivering PepsiCo products around Sacramento, 18 of which were funded by $4.5 million in grants provided by the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, as reported by The Sacramento Bee. To support these efforts, PepsiCo has set up unique fast-charging stations, called "Megachargers," at both locations.
Swapping old diesel trucks for these new electric ones makes a huge environmental difference. Trucks that run on diesel fuel significantly contribute to air pollution, which makes our air dirtier and contributes to the overheating of our planet. But electric trucks like Tesla Semis can help to reduce this pollution.
As reported by CBS, PepsiCo's fleet is expected to eliminate over 1,100 tons of heat-trapping gases annually. Taking it even further, commentators have said that these trucks will be cheaper to own in the long run because so much is saved on fuel costs and maintenance, as reported by Torque News.
According to Tesla's website, the Semi has a range of "approximately 300 or 500 miles" when fully charged. In an interview with Reuters, PepsiCo vice president Mike O'Connell, who oversees the company's fleet of vehicles, said that the Semis will haul Frito-Lay food products on trips of around 425 miles — and will carry out shorter trips of roughly 100 miles for heavy loads of sodas.
Ultimately, the biggest takeaway from PepsiCo's new fleet may be whether or not it encourages other brands to follow suit.
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