--- title: "Tesla Semi That Pepsi Just Bought Already Needs to Be Towed" description: "Semi-Functional Pepsi is one of Tesla's earliest adopters of its creatively named \"Semi\" all-electric semi-truck. Receiving its first units in December, Pepsi has since put the Semis to use on the road. But hardly a month later, and one sad looking Semi has already been spotted getting towed, raising plenty of questions over what happened […]" date: "2023-01-07" modified: "2023-01-07" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-semi-pepsi-just-bought-towed" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Tesla" tags: - "tesla" - "tesla semi" - "the digest" --- # Tesla Semi That Pepsi Just Bought Already Needs to Be Towed ![Pepsi acquired its batch of all-electric Tesla Semi semi-trucks last month, and it didn't take long for one to be spotted being carried by a flatbed.]() *\Image: JediMasterBuddha via Reddit\* ## Semi-Functional PepsiCo is one of the earliest adopters of Tesla's creatively named "Semi" all-electric semi-truck. Receiving its first units in December, PepsiCo has already put the Semis to use on the road. But hardly a month later, a sad looking Semi has already been spotted getting towed, raising questions over how the pilot program is going if the machines are already having mechanical difficulties. Images of the Semi in Pepsi livery appear to have been first shared on the RealTesla subreddit, [*Elektrek* reports](), a forum dedicated to the automaker's skeptics. The uploader claims that the semi was spotted in Sacramento, California, which is where PepsiCo previously confirmed [in a tweet]() that it would be using Tesla Semis to service its nearby facility. https://twitter.com/EarningCallElon/status/1610780716530556930 ## Fizzled Out As of now, that's the extent of what's known about the truck's condition. For all we know, there could be a non-breakdown related reason that the truck needs the help of a flatbed — but at the same time, that doesn't seem likely. Consider other reports, both [recent]() and in the months preceding, of Tesla Semis breaking down. Take an incident in October, when a damning video captured a broken-down Tesla Semi [hogging an entire onramp](), much to the chagrin of those stuck in traffic. All in all, it's not a great look for the automaker or its mercurial CEO Elon Musk. Musk has been publicly enthusiastic about the Tesla Semi's debut, hyping up Pepsi's acquisition of his company's trucks in November in a [viral tweet](). But with great exposure comes great scrutiny, and to say there's a lot riding on the Tesla Semi would be an understatement. So these most recent images — while devoid of context — are ultimately a damning portrait of the Semi's [supposedly]() [impressive capabilities](), whether it is fair to come to that conclusion or not. Nor is it the ideal advertisement for a potential shift to EV trucking, but hopefully newly emerging details will help set the record straight. **More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Mocked for Claiming Cybertruck Can Pull "Near Infinite Mass"]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()