The Tesla Semi is proving to be a workhorse in the real world, as per data released by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency's (NACFE) Run On Less program. It's the first independent real-world test of the Semi, and the range and charging figures appear encouraging.

We reported last week how the electric trucks covered over 300 miles on a single charge with an unspecified amount of payload. It now turns out that one of PepsiCo's three Tesla Semis participating in the program covered 1600 miles in under 48 hours with three full charges and two brief range-extending charging stops.

The Semi conducted nine deliveries in that timeframe, covering 794 miles on day two, and 806 miles on day three, around California. It drove at highway speeds for roughly 90 percent of the distance. "NACFE has verified that these are fairly fully loaded when they leave and stay fairly loaded," said NACFE's director Mike Roeth.

NACFE's principal of carbon-free transportation, Dave Mullaney, confirmed that these are beverage trucks, without chips and rarely running empty. Due to the heft of the battery, they lose some payload capacity compared to diesel trucks, but the figure isn't significant, Roeth added.

The lost payload capacity is between 2,200 to 4,400 pounds, including the extra 2,000-pound allowance that EVs get, guessed Mullaney. Note that the payload figures are speculative, and there's no official data on the exact load the Semis are carrying. Although, it's clear that they're not running empty.