500-mile Tesla Semi takes delivery, with 1-megawatt charging capability.

Tesla began customer deliveries of semi-trailer trucks, known as semis, late Thursday.

The first customer is Pepsi, which ordered 100 Class 8 trucks following their 2017 debut. Budweiser and Walmart are among the other customers for the fully electric semi-truck, which features a central driving position like the McLaren F1 supercar.

The delivery launch took place at a special event at Tesla's factory in Reno, Nevada, where CEO Elon Musk confirmed some of the Semi's further specifications. Tesla also released a time-lapse video showing that the Semi can travel 500 miles on a single charge and has a total weight of 81,000 pounds. Tesla did not reveal the cargo capacity.

The version of the semi featured in the video has a three-motor powertrain, with one motor on one rear axle for low-load driving and two more on the second rear axle for acceleration. According to Tesla, this power is three times that of comparable diesel trucks on the market.

Tesla's performance figures include 0-60 mph acceleration in 20 seconds and the ability to accelerate on gradients of up to 5%. These figures are with a maximum gross weight of 82,000 pounds for the semi. According to Tesla, without cargo, the semi can accelerate to 60 mph in just 5.0 seconds.

Tesla also stated that the semi can travel one mile on less than 2 kwh of electricity.

Tesla has not disclosed the size of the battery, but the company has previously stated that a new 1-megawatt (1,000kw) charger designed for the Semi would allow for a 70% charge in 30 minutes. Musk said at the Reno event that the megawatt charger will also be compatible with the company's upcoming Cybertruck pickup truck. Tesla plans to roll out megawatt chargers at its Supercharger stations within the next year. [Production of the semis is taking place at Tesla's plant in Austin, Texas. This plant is also where Tesla builds the Model Y crossover and will begin production of the Cybertruck in 2023.

Semi production was originally scheduled to begin in 2019, but that date was pushed back as Tesla faced supply chain issues, including a limited supply of battery cells, and prioritized Model Y production in Austin. Since then, existing truck makers such as Daimler Trucks and Volvo Trucks have already launched electric trucks, including Class 8 trucks.

Tesla began taking reservations for the semi in May and began requiring a $20,000 deposit in August, at which point reservations were closed. The trucks were initially priced at $150,000 for the 300-mile model and $180,000 for the 500-mile model. As has happened with many electric vehicles in recent months, it is possible that Tesla will raise the price when it begins taking reservations again.