Pepsico explains how it uses Tesla Semi electric trucks in glimpse of the future of trucking

Pepsico explained how it uses its fleet of Tesla Semi electric trucks in a fascinating video that gives us a glimpse at the future of trucking.

Tesla has only delivered a limited number of its electric semitrucks, and most of them are believed to be in operation in Pepsico’s fleet – primarily in its Sacramento facility, which has been completely electrified and is solar-powered.

In a very interesting new video produced by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), Pepsico has explained in detail its use of the Tesla Semi trucks.

Pepsico explained that it uses most of its 21 Tesla Semi electric trucks for deliveries within 100 miles with several stops. They operate for up to 12 hours a day.

Dejan Antunovic, electrification program manager at Pepsico, explained that three of the Tesla Semi trucks are dedicated to long-haul trucking, with routes that vary between 250 to 450 miles.

To support that, Tesla has been installing 750 kW Megachargers at Pepsico facilities. They enable charging to 80% capacity in less than 45 minutes.

Pepsico noted the difficulty of installing that much charging power at a facility and said that they will use what they learned from this experience to plan for future depots that will be electrified.

Antunovic says that the company has been pushing the trucks to their limits, and they have been impressed. They find Tesla Semi’s regenerative braking to be particularly beneficial. As an example, he explained that, on the way down Donner Pass when going to Nevada, the Tesla Semi was able to be energy neutral by recuperating energy from braking.

The program manager noted that they have been able to achieve an efficiency of 1.7 kWh per mile on average with Tesla Semi. Pepsico specifically mentioned that this level of efficiency was achieved “over the last few months,” meaning that it has been improving.

That’s incredible, considering a rate of $0.14 per kWh, the off-peak rate in Sacramento – this would result in a 23% fuel cost reduction over the most efficient diesel trucks. You can imagine how those savings could add up pretty quickly on a large fleet of trucks.

The video also features several Tesla Semi truck drivers who seem to be happy with the electric truck.

One of them said:

It’s so comfortable, easy to drive, you are so close to the front of the truck tractor that the views are amazing.

Pepsico is committed to completely removing emissions from its operations by 2040, and it has many electric trucks on order to achieve that, including one of the biggest orders of Tesla Semi trucks.