Tesla begins electric semi truck production, each to cost $180,000

Tesla has commenced the production of its semi electric commercial truck and it says Pepsi will get the first delivery on December 1.

World’s richest man and the electric vehicle maker’s chief executive  Elon Musk, confirmed this in a tweet.

Musk had earlier said the Class 8 truck would go into production by 2019 during the unveiling of the prototype of the futuristic, battery-powered Semi in 2017.

However, the timeline was pushed ahead multiple times due to part shortages.

In August, Musk announced the planned production of the truck.

In another tweet, Musk stated that the vehicle has a range of 500 miles (805km).

It was not immediately clear how many Semi trucks the electric vehicle maker plans to produce.

The truck is expected to cost $180,000, although it would qualify for a tax break of up to $40,000 under a U.S. subsidy programme approved by the Senate.

PepsiCo was said to have reserved 100 units of Tesla’s semi electric trucks in 2917 as it sought to reduce fuel costs and fleet emissions.