Tesla Semis just started hitting the road last year, so many people have never seen one in real life, which is why there is a lot of excitement whenever a video is posted showing the all-electric truck in action.
One posted by Tesla on YouTube created a lot of buzz when someone added it to Reddit's r/Truckers forum.
The time-lapse video showed a fully loaded Tesla Semi being driven 500 miles on a single charge. While the distance is far shorter than standard diesel-fueled semitrucks can travel, it is a significant achievement for an all-electric vehicle.
Diesel fuel is expensive, so electric trucks can reduce a company's transportation costs. There is a reason PepsiCo was the first company to roll out a fleet of Tesla Semis, and it's not just because they look cool.
One report showed PepsiCo's Tesla Semis achieved an average efficiency of 1.7 kilowatt-hours per mile. At a rate of $0.14 per kWh, the off-peak cost in Sacramento, California, where the majority of PepsiCo's trucks run out of, that would result in a 23% reduction in fuel expense over that of diesel trucks, per Electrek.
Ideally, those savings could be directly passed on to consumers.
Many comments on the Reddit post dismissed the accomplishment of the Tesla Semi, claiming we're decades away from having the infrastructure to support fleets of all-electric trucks. "I'll check back in 20 years and see how things have changed," one skeptic wrote.
However, those people are missing the point. For one, Tesla has done an incredible job quickly building a Supercharger network for EVs, so the company could do the same with the Semi's Megachargers.
Also, electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and hitting milestones such as this one proves the future is closer than we think — and just in time, too.
Of the over 8.8 billion tons of carbon pollution created by the transportation sector globally in 2018, 29.4% came from trucks carrying freight — that works out to about 2.6 billion tons.
Carbon pollution is the direct cause of our planet's rapid rise in temperature, throwing our climate into disarray with increasingly extreme weather events including powerful storms, droughts, and wildfires.
It's vital that we move away from dirty energy sources such as oil, coal, and gas and start utilizing cleaner energy sources.
In the comments, there were also a plethora of people excited about the Tesla Semi's achievement.
"While I am not a tesla fan, this is the type of truck needed to upend the industry and bring trucks into the 21st century," one person wrote.
Another said: "I have to say congrats to Tesla on this feat. I have to admit they sure are a lot more aero dynamic than the diesel versions I drive."
Others were more impressed with the driver's ability to make the trip with only one bathroom break. "Round of applause for this guys bladder too," someone else added.
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