DEPLOYThe reference layer for physical AI

Deployment

Semi at California

The Tesla Semi is a Class 8 battery-electric heavy-duty truck (325-mile and 500-mile range variants), unveiled in November 2017 with first deliveries to PepsiCo on December 1 2022. The registry records it at commercial maturity on the strength of PepsiCo's sustained, multi-site, multi-year fleet operation (Sacramento beverage and Modesto Frito-Lay), with additional independent pilots at ArcBest/ABF and DHL (first delivery December 2025). Critically, the Tesla Semi is a human-driven electric truck: every deployed unit runs with a driver, Tesla has made no Level 4 claim, and it removed Autopilot/FSD references from the Semi's marketing. Full autonomy is a roadmap claim only, so the registry does not wire the Semi to Tesla's FSD stack. Volume production at the dedicated Giga Nevada Semi factory is targeted for 2026 (a repeatedly-slipped Tesla target); production is still ramping. 2017-era pricing of $150k-$180k is a stale projection.

Semi by Tesla · Operated by PepsiCo · Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verified

Machine-readable surfaces

PepsiCo is the Tesla Semi's anchor fleet operator, taking its first trucks at Tesla's December 1, 2022 delivery event. The initial fleet of about 36 trucks split across two California sites: roughly 21 at PepsiCo's Sacramento bottling plant (heavier soda loads, ~100-mile local routes) and about 15 at Frito-Lay Modesto (lighter snack loads, ~425-mile hauls). A further 50 trucks began arriving the week of May 21, 2024, with Fresno cited as a delivery point, bringing the fleet to roughly 86. Each of the Modesto and Sacramento sites has four 750-kW Tesla Megachargers. 18 of the 21 Sacramento trucks and the Sacramento charging infrastructure were funded in part by a $4.5M grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District (CARB AB 617 / California Climate Investments); the Tesla Semi is also CARB-certified and HVIP-eligible. Note: this is a battery-electric fleet with driver-assist (Autopilot), not an autonomous deployment.

Key facts

Operator
PepsiCo (Frito-Lay Modesto + PepsiCo Beverages Sacramento + Fresno)
Fleet
~36 initial (Dec 2022) growing to ~86 (May 2024)
Public funding
$4.5M SMAQMD grant (18 Sacramento trucks + charging); HVIP-eligible
Verification
VERIFIED operating fleet (multiple third-party confirmations)
Trust tier
Catalog entry · 3 sources · not yet field-verified
Last updated
2026-06-03
Model
Semi
Company
Tesla
Location
California
Operator
PepsiCo
Status
active
First seen
2022-12-01
ID
f3271b04-7c10-4fed-906c-9e79e584bc89

Verifications (0)

No verifications recorded yet.

Sources (3)

  1. https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/16/pepsico-is-using-36-tesla-semis-in-its-fleet-and-is-upgrading-facilities-for-more-in-2023-exec-says.html
  2. https://www.truckinginfo.com/news/pepsico-receives-tesla-semi-fleet
  3. https://www.benzinga.com/news/24/05/38936949/tesla-semi-fleet-grows-as-pepsico-takes-delivery-of-another-50-ev-trucks

Common questions

What is the Semi deployment at California?
Semi, built by Tesla, is recorded as a deployment at California on the DEPLOY registry. PepsiCo operates the deployment.
Who operates Semi at California?
PepsiCo operates this deployment as a customer of Tesla, the manufacturer of Semi.
When did the Semi deployment at California go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting December 1, 2022 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Is the Semi deployment at California still active?
As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is currently operating.
Have there been incidents at the Semi deployment at California?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.