Tesla delivers electric semis to PepsiCo at Nevada factory

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Category: Technology/Innovations

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. freight / freɪt / (n.) – a delivery system
    Example:

    The supplies are going to arrive by freight tomorrow.


  2. autonomously / ɔˈtɒn ə məs li / (adv.) – able to operate independently
    Example:

    Self-driving cars can go to their destination autonomously.


  3. convoy / ˈkɒn vɔɪ / (n.) – a group of vehicles or ships traveling together
    Example:

    The president of the country always travels in a convoy.


  4. long-haul / ˈlɔŋ ˈhɔl / (adj.) – involving long-distance traveling
    Example:

    Medical supplies will be sent to the countryside through long-haul truckers.


  5. recharge / riˈtʃɑrdʒ / (v.) – to refill a battery with electricity
    Example:

    This electric bike can cover about 300 km before its battery needs to be recharged.


Article

Read the text below.

Tesla delivered its first electric semis to PepsiCo, more than three years after Elon Musk said his company would start making the trucks.


The Austin, Texas, company formally delivered the trucks at a factory near Reno, Nevada. The event was live-streamed on Twitter, which Musk now owns.


Musk drove one of three Tesla Semis in front of a crowd inside the factory. One was white, one was painted with a Pepsi logo, and another with Frito-Lay colors.


PepsiCo, which is based in Purchase, New York, is taking part in a zero-emissions freight project at a Frito-Lay facility in Modesto, California. That project is being funded by a $15.4 million clean-freight technology grant from the California Air Resources Board that includes 15 Tesla battery-electric tractors and other electric- and natural-gas-powered trucks.


Electric semis also would be eligible for a federal tax credit of up to $40,000.


At an event in November of 2017 unveiling the Tesla Semi, Musk said production would begin in 2019 and the trucks would be able to follow each other autonomously in a convoy. But during Tesla’s third-quarter earnings conference call in October 2022, he said the company’s “Full Self Driving” system is not quite ready to be driverless.


Musk said the truck has a range per charge of 500 miles (800 kilometers) when pulling an 82,000-pound (37,000-kilo) load. The company plans to ramp up Semi production to make 50,000 trucks in 2024 in North America.


Competitors working on hydrogen-powered semis say battery-powered trucks won’t work for long-haul carriers because it will take too long to recharge the huge batteries. Musk said hydrogen isn’t needed for heavy trucking.


This article was provided by The Associated Press.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

  • Musk said that the semis will be able to follow each other autonomously in a convoy. Do you think it’s a good idea to use a “Full Self Driving” system in large vehicles? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Do you think roads will be filled with electric and self-driving cars in the near future? Why or why not? Discuss.

Discussion B

  • Competitors said that battery-powered trucks won’t work for long-haul carriers because it will take too long to recharge the huge batteries. Do you think the benefits of being battery-powered outweigh this disadvantage? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What kind of changes would you like to see in transportation in the future (ex. more driverless buses, flying cars)? Discuss.