Buffett Avoided Tesla for Years — But Now His Company Will Power Elon Musk's Semis

Legendary investor Warren Buffett famously passed at investing in Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) stock over the years in the investment portfolio of conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK)(NYSE:BRK). While Berkshire still isn't investing in Tesla stock, the company could help validate the upcoming volume production of the Tesla Semi. • Tesla stock is trading near recent highs. Where is TSLA stock headed? Berkshire Company Partners With Tesla Pilot Travel Centers, owned by Berkshire Hathaway, announced a partnership with Tesla to install Semi Chargers at multiple locations across the country. The charging stations will be built at locations along I-5, I-10 and other major corridors. A tweet from Tesla showed a map of potential locations, which includes California, Georgia, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. Semi Chargers are expected to begin opening at Pilot Travel Centers locations in summer 2026. "Helping to shape the future of energy is a strategic pillar in meeting the needs of our guests and the North American transportation industry. Heavy-duty charging is yet another extension of our exploration into alternative fuel offerings, and we're happy to partner with a leader in the space that provides turnkey solutions and deploys them quickly," Pilot Senior Vice President, Alternative Fuels Shannon Sturgill said. The Pilot Travel Centers with Tesla Semi Chargers will have four to eight charging stalls that deliver up to 1.2 megawatts at each stall. The technology will be compatible with Tesla Semi trucks to start, but could open up to other heavy-duty EVs in the future, Pilot said. Pilot is the largest network of travel centers in North America, with over 900 locations in 44 states and five Canadian provinces. The company serves an average of 1.2 million guests per day. The Berkshire company has previously partnered with General Motors and EVgo on charging infrastructure initiatives for electric vehicles at travel centers. What's Next for Tesla Semi Tesla said that the Semi is on schedule for volume production in 2026 during its third-quarter financial results. Tesla reports fourth-quarter financial results on Wednesday and could provide updates on the Tesla Semi. Several partners, such as PepsiCo, already have Tesla Semi vehicles in operation. The opening of Semi Chargers at Pilot Travel Centers locations could help these companies with charging capabilities. I-5 runs North to South along the West Coast between Canada and Mexico, connecting multiple important cities. I-10 goes West to East, connecting California to Florida with a large portion of the highway in Texas. I-10 is the fourth-longest interstate in the U.S. Tesla previously said that the Semi has range of around 500 miles and can be fully charged in around 30 minutes. Photo: Tesla Semi courtesy Shutterstock