PepsiCo makes biggest public pre-order of Tesla Semis:
100 trucks
Send a link to a friend
[December 12, 2017]
By Eric M. Johnson
SEATTLE (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc has
reserved 100 of Tesla Inc's new electric Semi trucks, the largest-known
order of the big rig, as the maker of Mountain Dew soda and Doritos
chips seeks to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions, a company
executive said on Tuesday.
Tesla has been trying to convince the trucking community that it can
build an affordable electric big rig with the range and cargo capacity
to compete with relatively low-cost, time-tested diesel trucks.
Early orders reflect uncertainty over how the market for electric
commercial vehicles will develop. About 260,000 heavy-duty Class-8
trucks are produced in North America annually, according to FTR, an
industry economics research firm.

PepsiCo's 100 trucks add to orders by more than a dozen companies such
as Wal-Mart Stores Inc <WMT.N>, fleet operator J.B. Hunt Transport
Services Inc <JBHT.O>, and foodservice distribution company Sysco Corp <SYY.N>.
Reservations to date are at 267 Tesla trucks, according to a Reuters
tally.
PepsiCo intends to deploy Tesla Semis for shipments of snack foods and
beverages between manufacturing and distribution facilities and direct
to retailers within the 500-mile (800-km) range promised by Tesla Chief
Executive Elon Musk.
[to top of second column] |

Tesla's new electric semi truck is unveiled during a presentation in
Hawthorne, California, U.S. on November 16, 2017. REUTERS/Alexandria
Sage/File Photo

The semi-trucks will complement PepsiCo's U.S. fleet of nearly 10,000
big rigs and are a key part of its plan to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions across its supply chain by a total of at least 20 percent by
2030, said Mike O'Connell, the senior director of North American supply
chain for PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay.
PepsiCo is analyzing what routes are best for its Tesla trucks in North
America but sees a wide range of uses for lighter loads like snacks or
shorter shipments of heavier beverages, O'Connell said.
Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Tesla unveiled the Semi last month and expects the truck to be in
production by 2019.
O'Connell declined to say how much PepsiCo paid to reserve its trucks,
when it placed its pre-orders, or whether it plans to lease the trucks
or buy them outright. Tesla initially asked $5,000 per truck for
pre-orders but that amount has since risen to about $20,000.
(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle; Editing by Peter Cooney)
[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |