On June 25, 2020, the California Air Resources Board voted unanimously in favor of a zero emission truck standard in the state. The new standard is a first in the country, forcing manufacturers to switch from diesel and gasoline vans and trucks to zero emission options starting in 2024. They have until 2045 to completely electrify their fleets, and starting then, all trucks and vans sold in the state must have zero emissions. The new bill will be greatly beneficial to Tesla as the relatively short time frame of it means that some of the first electric trucks to the market will be the best selling. As Tesla prepares to start full scale production of the Semi Truck, more and more of them will be ordered in the state of California over the competition, as the Tesla Model 3 is currently the best selling car in the state. The brand familiarity that Tesla has will likely benefit them over more obscure, newer competitors.
Burger King recently released an ad that shows a Tesla Model 3 on autopilot, slowing down and stopping in front of a Burger King. The reason the self driving system decided to stop there is that it thought the round Burger King sign was a stop sign. In a recent Tweet by Burger King they claim that any other Tesla owners who manage to recreate and film the phenomenon will receive a free whopper. Although Tesla does not advertise, the cars really do speak for themselves and when a product does that so well, it attracts attention and free publicity from other companies, like in this situation.