PepsiCo Inc has reserved 100 of Tesla Inc’s new electric Semi trucks, the largest publicly available order of the vehicle, a company executive told Reuters on Tuesday.
This order will boost the total orders by other companies, including those from Anheuser-Busch, Wal-Mart, Sysco Corp and others.
Anheuser-Busch revealed last week it preordered 40 semis – all fully electric-powered and equipped with autonomous driving features.
“At Anheuser-Busch, we are constantly seeking new ways to make our supply chain more sustainable, efficient, and innovative,” said James Sembrot, Senior Director of Logistics Strategy.
“This investment in Tesla semi-trucks helps us achieve these goals while improving road safety and lowering our environmental impact,” he added. The company indicated this is part of its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025.
PepsiCo also indicated its pre-ordered semi-trucks will complement its 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, according to Mike O‘Connell, the senior director of North American supply chain for PepsiCo subsidiary Frito-Lay.
Tesla unveiled the Semi last month and expects the truck to be in production by 2019.