PepsiCo expects to take delivery of Tesla Semi electric trucks in fourth quarter

Four years after placing its initial order for Tesla Semi electric trucks, beverage company PepsiCo expects to take delivery of the first set of EVs by the fourth quarter. The latter had placed an order for 100 of Tesla's electric trucks so as to reduce fuel cost bills and eliminate carbon emissions from its fleet.

The delivery of order from Tesla was confirmed by PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta during an interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26. He said, "We replace our fleet regularly, every ten years more or less… and we’re already starting to buy electric trucks actually from Tesla… we’re getting our first deliveries this Q4."

(Also watch: Tesla CEO Elon Musk reveals how the EV giant got its name)

Though it is not clear how many out of the 100 ordered electric trucks will be delivered by Tesla, it is expected that at least 15 units will be delivered by the end of this year. PepsiCo had earlier mentioned that it aims to use these trucks to ship snack foods and beverages between manufacturing and distribution centers as well as to retailers.

Tesla Semi electric truck claims to be capable of running 500 miles (805 km) on a charge and will be able to tow 80,000 lbs. The truck could even come with a higher payload capacity as compared to its diesel-powered counterparts. It also claimed that the electric truck will not break down in its first million miles of running. Tesla Semi is also claimed to offer an efficiency of more than 0.80 km per kWh, through its aerodynamics and powerful electric powertrain.

Walmart, fleet operator JB Hunt Transport Services and food distributor Sysco Corp have also placed orders for Tesla's Semi electric trucks. Recently, rental car firm Hertz announced that it would order 100,000 Tesla vehicles by the end of next year, though Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed that no such deal has been made.

(with inputs from Reuters)