What's behind Tesla

A number of competitors have passed Tesla in a number of its big ambitions. Tesla has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in South Africa.

Key facts

• A number of competitors have passed Tesla in a number of its big ambitions.
• The question is what does success look like for Tesla's semi, and can it catch back up?
• It's been nearly a decade since Tesla's semitruck was presented to investors.
• Tesla (TSLA +2.41%) investors have been along for a bumpy ride over the last 18 months or so as they've seen competitors pull ahead of the automaker that helped reenergize the global electric vehicle (EV) industry.
• Tesla is known for supporting Pepsi with 80 Tesla electric semitrucks in the Pepsi fleet.

What we know

Going deeper, the question is what does success look like for Tesla's semi, and can it catch back up?

On the substance, It's been nearly a decade since Tesla's semitruck was presented to investors.

Beyond the headlines, Tesla (TSLA +2.41%) investors have been along for a bumpy ride over the last 18 months or so as they've seen competitors pull ahead of the automaker that helped reenergize the global electric vehicle (EV) industry.

More precisely, Tesla is known for supporting Pepsi with 80 Tesla electric semitrucks in the Pepsi fleet.

It is worth noting that Volvo has placed more than 5,000 full-electric semis into service around the world and logged over 100 million zero-emission miles in roughly the same time since Tesla and Pepsi finalized their agreement.

By the numbers

At this stage, In comparison, as of early 2026, Tesla had "a few hundred" semis on the road, primarily in pilot programs in addition to Pepsi, DHL Supply Chain, and Tesla's internal logistics.

On a related note, Tesla's volume semi production is set to begin in the first half of 2026 at its Nevada factory, with annual production capacity at roughly 50,000 semitrucks.

Going deeper, If Tesla were to grab a few thousand over the first couple of years for a small market share, that would be a solid start.

On the substance, Hypothetically, let's say Tesla sells 1,000 this year, 2,000 next year, and in five years Tesla's semi hits around 8,000 -- this is what success looks like, and is comparable to Volvo, currently.

The wider context

On a related note, Tesla Just Dropped Big News About Its Electric Semi Truck.

Going deeper, Tesla Stock Slips Premarket: First High-Volume Semi Rolls Out, But China Weakness Keeps Investors Cautious.

On the substance, BYD, China's juggernaut EV maker, raced ahead of Tesla in global EV sales.

Beyond the headlines, a handful of companies have expanded their robotaxi ambitions beyond Tesla's current scope, even considering its recent expansion.

More precisely, And now, even Volvo is putting some distance between itself and Tesla, with Coca-Cola adding to its fleet of electric semis.

The bottom line

• The question is what does success look like for Tesla's semi, and can it catch back up?
• A handful of companies have expanded their robotaxi ambitions beyond Tesla's current scope, even considering its recent expansion.
• Pepsi versus Coca-Cola will go down in history as an all-time great business rivalry, but adding Tesla and Volvo into the mix adds a nice twist to the story.