Forbes compared a Tesla guaranteed 7 cents for kwh charging price and compared it to 18 cents for residential home charging. Pepsi is not going to charge Semi trucks at people’s homes. Tesla will still be able to guarantee low wholesale or industrial electricity charging prices today. It might be 8 cents per kwh but if off peak charging is done, Tesla Semi fleet owners can still get 5-7 cents per kwh in most low-cost states.
They switched from wholesale and industrial electricity rates to average residential electricity rates. Industrial retail prices (which large fleet operators like semi truck chargers often pay) averaged 8.44 cents/kWh nationwide in late 2025, up 7.5% from 2024. This is higher than pure wholesale due to added fees but still below residential averages (17.78 cents/kWh).
Pepsi has charging depots at warehouses and industrial facilities.
Based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts, the load-weighted average wholesale price across major regional markets is expected to be around $51/MWh, or 5.1 cents per kWh. This is an increase from $47/MWh (4.7 cents/kWh) in 2025 and $38/MWh (3.8 cents/kWh) in 2024. For semi truck charging specifically, fleets can negotiate time-of-use rates or use off-peak wholesale pricing, potentially approaching 5-7 cents/kWh in low-cost states.
Are the Forbes author and editor liars or morons? They are both. But in this case the main problem is they are morons who do not understand there are wholesale and residential electricity prices.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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