Modesto plant receives first-ever Tesla semis as CEO Elon Musk celebrates milestone
A Modesto plant has received the first-ever commercial Tesla semi trucks, and the all-electric freight vehicles have begun rolling out across the area.
Last week, the high-profile electric car company delivered the first of its long-awaited fleet of semis to the Modesto Frito-Lay plant, located off Yosemite Boulevard and Garner Road. Then, on Thursday, Tesla’s high-profile CEO Elon Musk celebrated the milestone with a live-streamed event from the company’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nev.
Tesla announced five years ago that it would begin production of its all-electric semis. Three years ago, it partnered with PepsiCo, the parent company of Frito-Lay, to be the first to put the zero-emission semis on the road commercially.
The Modesto Frito-Lay plant was chosen to receive the first of the semis because of its size and the need for clean-energy solutions in the Central Valley. PepsiCo officials held an an event showing off the fully electric semi prototypes in Modesto in October 2019. The new trailer-trucks are part of the Modesto plant’s sustainable transformation program, under which the company will switch out its entire fleet to zero or near zero-emission vehicles.
Musk, who has been in the news recently because of his tumultuous purchase and operation of Twitter, popped out of a Tesla semi to start the live-streamed event celebrating the first delivery of trucks. The presentation included lights, lasers, videos and infographics showing off the new semi’s capabilities.
“We unveiled the Tesla semi five years ago. There’s been a lot that’s happened since then — to say the least,” he said to a live crowd of supporters at the private event. “We’re incredibly excited tonight to actually deliver our first production Tesla semi trucks.”
More than 60,000 people watched the streamed event live simultaneously, and Musk called PepsiCo a “great partner.” Its executives Kirk Tanner and Steven Williams also briefly appeared on stage to receive the symbolic keys to the first Tesla semis. In the background were parked two trucks emblazoned with the beverage and snack company’s branding, one blue with the Pepsi logo and another orange and yellow with the Frito-Lay logo.
“(Wednesday) we were actually able to complete our first delivery, compliments of Frito-Lay. We took a truck down to their Modesto factory from here (Sparks),” said Dan Priestley, senior manager of semi truck engineering for Tesla at the celebration Thursday night. “One of their drivers delivered the truck, they took it over, and they brought back a load of snacks for everyone here to enjoy tonight.”
The new Tesla semis have a range of up to 500 miles and can haul up to 82,000 pounds — which is more than traditional diesel-powered semis are allowed to carry. Musk and Priestly showed off data from the 500-mile test run of the semi that went from Fremont, through Los Banos and down to San Diego.
The new semis also have an unusual design, both inside and out. The exterior has a dramatic, curved front for aerodynamics, and inside, the driver sits in the middle of the cab instead of the usual left side. One of the semis made its local debut pulling Frito-Lay in Modesto’s annual Christmas parade float.
“It looks sick. I mean, you want to drive that. That thing looks like it came from the future,” Musk said of the semis.
Purchasing the Tesla semis and their megawatt charging stations is part of $30.8-million multi-pronged sustainability project at the southeast Modesto Frito-Lay plant. It will replace its entire diesel-powered distribution fleet with a mix of all-electric freight vehicles, natural-gas powered semis and electric on-site production vehicles. The plant also will install more solar panels, energy storage and charging stations.
When it was first announced, PepsiCo said it planned to purchase 15 Tesla semis for the Modesto plant. The entire project initially was expected to be completed by 2021. A representative for Frito-Lay said the company expects to receive delivery on all of its 15 Tesla semis by the end of the year for use at the Modesto site.
At the end of the 30-minute Tesla presentation, Musk praised the work that went into the vehicles’ development and their potential impact.
“It’s been a long journey, long five years, but this is gonna really revolutionize the roads and I think make the world a better place in a meaningful way,” he said.
This story was originally published December 2, 2022 at 9:23 AM.
