By Michael Elkins
Today it was announced in an exclusive report by Teslarati.com that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has officially gained approval by the EPA to begin deliveries of their electric Tesla Semi to customers. The EPA told Teslarati that the 2023 Tesla Semi has officially been granted a Certificate of Conformity, which was given to the manufacturer on September 29. The Certificate is valid until December 31, 2023. The EPA granting the Semi a Certificate of Conformity means the vehicle can officially enter the stream of commerce, permission the company had not gained previously.
Certificates of Conformity are granted by the EPA when a vehicle is confirmed to be conforming to the agency’s emissions and fuel economy requirements. “Every class of heavy-duty engines/vehicles and nonroad engines introduced into commerce in the U.S. must have a Certificate of Conformity, and they are valid for only one model year of production,” the EPA said.
The electric auto maker had previously announced that they would begin volume production and deliveries of the Semis in 2020 and 2021 only to be delayed by battery constraints and supply chain issues. Tesla had not previously applied for the certificate, indicating that the vehicle will begin deliveries soon.
Tesla is expected to make the first deliveries of the Semi to PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) in Modesto and Sacramento, California. As of right now, the only reason Tesla would not deliver the vehicle to PepsiCo. on December 1 is if the vehicle is not built or there is a delay in the vehicle making it to its destination.
Shares of TSLA are up 3.85% in mid-day trading on Tuesday.