Tesla Semi, the company’s first heavy-duty semi-truck was delivered to PepsiCo on Thursday, after a three-year delay. Elon Musk said in a presentation that the battery-powered, long-haul truck will cut down on highway emissions, beat existing diesel models on both safety and power, even as experts remain sceptical.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk delivered the company’s first heavy-duty Semi on Thursday to PepsiCo without offering updated forecasts for the cargo-hauling truck’s pricing or production plans.
Musk, who appeared onstage at an event 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’re a trucker and you want the most badass rig on the road, this is it,» Musk said, noting that it was five years since Tesla had announced it was developing the all-electric truck. Still, industry experts remain skeptical that battery electric trucks can take the strain of hauling hefty loads for hundreds of miles economically.
