Tesla has finally started manufacturing its all-electric Semi truck—the first of which will be dispatched to PepsiCo before the end of the year.
Elon Musk revealed the news on Thursday, tweeting that he was "excited to announce [the] start of production of Tesla Semi Truck with deliveries to Pepsi on Dec. 1."
The all-electric Tesla Semi was unveiled in 2017 with the claim that it can haul 80,000 pounds of cargo up to 500 miles on a single charge, while simultaneously offering better acceleration than diesel-powered trucks carrying a similar load on the same road.
Originally expected to make its debut in 2019, Tesla's Semi launch has been pushed back numerous times due to part shortages. Now in production, the Class 8 truck is set to roll off the assembly line in less than two months at an estimated cost of $180,000 per truck, Reuters says.
In 2017, Pepsi reserved 100 Tesla Semi electric trucks in an effort to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions for the firm. In a July update to its fleet efficiency website, the company said 15 Tesla semi tractors are expected to deploy by the end of 2022.
"These will be deployed across both our snacks and beverage businesses," Pepsis says. "Additionally, Frito-Lay will deploy over 40 electric vans in North America in 2022 to evaluate how best to leverage electric vehicles and technologies moving forward."
Neither Tesla nor PepsiCo immediately responded to PCMag's request for comment.
Tesla, meanwhile, is "making progress on the industrialization" of Cybertruck, a sharp-edged, futuristic vehicle with a range of 250 to 500 miles (depending on configuration) and the ability to go from zero to 60mph in less than 2.9 seconds (with the tri-motor model). Like the Semi, though, Tesla was forced to delay production of the Cybertruck from 2021.