Tesla is going brown. The UPS has placed a reservation for 125 copies of the Tesla Semi, the largest known order yet for the fully electric truck.
UPS joins a growing list of companies that have pre-ordered the Semi in small quantities. PepsiCo just reserved 100 units, while beer company Anheuser-Busch put its name down for 40. Wal-Mart, fleet operator J.B. Hunt, and food distributor Sysco have also made reservations.
According to Tesla’s website, it now costs $20,000 to reserve the Semi.
UPS already has an extensive fleet of vehicles powered by electric, hybrid, natural gas, and propane. But adding the Semi will help the delivery company further in its goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from ground operations around the world 12 percent by 2025. By 2020, one in four vehicles purchased by UPS will be an alternative fuel or “advanced technology vehicle.”
“We look forward to expanding further our commitment to fleet excellence with Tesla,” said Juan Perez, UPS chief information and engineering officer, in a statement. “These groundbreaking electric tractors are poised to usher in a new era in improved safety, reduced environmental impact, and reduced cost of ownership.”
According to Reuters, citing UPS senior director for automotive maintenance Scott Phillippi, the trucks will operate mostly in the U.S. Routes are yet to be determined.
The Tesla Semi can travel 500 miles on a single charge at max weight, the automaker claims. At one of Tesla’s solar-powered Megachargers, the Semi can regain 400 miles back in just 30 minutes. The trucks will come with Autopilot technology, which will allow for partial self-driving capability on the highway.
Tesla says the Semi will enter production in 2019, but given Tesla’s history, we can’t be sure the company will make this deadline. The company has suffered losses due to Model 3 production delays.
Source: UPS, Reuters