2,500 electric trucks ordered in the US, Tesla Semi becomes the main choice — InsideEVs
The ZET SCALE shipper alliance in the United States has organized an order for at least 2,500 heavy-duty electric trucks. The Tesla Semi tractor became the main choice in the first batch, InsideEVs reports. According to the publication, this is the country’s largest single order for Class 8 electric trucks and is expected to double their number on US roads.
Tesla Semi is the main choice
In addition to Tesla, the alliance will order trucks from Kenworth, Ride and Volvo. Tesla Semi program director Dan Priestley said that the tractor unit is designed for a lower operating cost per mile compared with diesel trucks. According to him, large-scale purchases could strengthen the benefits of predictable electricity costs for carriers and shippers.
Tesla recently began producing the Semi at a new facility in Nevada, which, according to the publication, can manufacture up to 50,000 trucks per year. The company offers a Standard Range version with a claimed range of up to 325 miles, or about 523 km, and a Long Range version with a range of up to 500 miles, or about 805 km.
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Leasing and freight hubs
The deal was organized by the Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification, or ZET SCALE, which is jointly managed by Catalyst Mobility and Smart Freight Center. Microsoft and PepsiCo are named among the companies that use the alliance to transport freight in the United States.
ZET Financial will finance the initial order. The electric trucks will be provided to shippers under the ZET Lease program. According to the organizers’ assessment, the program eliminates the residual-value risk of the vehicles for fleet operators. The alliance also said that combining demand from several companies made it possible to reduce the purchase price of the vehicles.
The first trucks are planned to be deployed at ten freight hubs: Southern California and Los Angeles, Northern California and Stockton, Central California and Bakersfield, Seattle–Tacoma, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, the Chicago area, Atlanta, and Northern New Jersey, Newark and New York. The initiative’s participants intend to deploy more than 10,000 electric trucks, but have not disclosed a schedule for this deployment.
