Tesla selected as lead supplier for 2,500-truck electric fleet order in the US

Tesla has been selected as the primary truck manufacturer for an initial order covering 2,500 battery-electric Class 8 trucks in the United States, in what the organisations behind the initiative describe as the country’s largest electric heavy-duty truck procurement to date.

The order was organised through ZET SCALE – Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification, an initiative launched by Catalyst Mobility, formerly CALSTART, and Smart Freight Centre. Founding shippers participating in the programme include Microsoft and PepsiCo.

Rather than representing a conventional fleet order from a single transport company, ZET SCALE aggregates demand from large cargo owners and carriers. The idea is to use collective purchasing volumes to negotiate lower vehicle prices and make battery-electric trucks more accessible to fleet operators.

Tesla was selected as the primary OEM following an evaluation of price, range, charging capability and production capacity. Kenworth, Volvo and RIDE were also selected as secondary suppliers, allowing participating carriers to choose alternative vehicles according to their operational requirements.

This distinction is significant: while Tesla is the lead supplier, the announcement does not establish that all 2,500 trucks will necessarily be Tesla Semi vehicles.

Deployment across ten US freight hubs

The trucks are expected to operate across ten major freight hubs in the United States: Los Angeles, Stockton and Bakersfield in California; Seattle/Tacoma; Houston, Dallas and San Antonio in Texas; Chicago; Atlanta; and the Newark/New York area.

Concentrating vehicles in major freight corridors is intended to increase truck utilisation while also making better use of the charging infrastructure required to support large electric fleets.

According to the organisations behind ZET SCALE, deploying the initial 2,500 trucks would nearly double the existing US fleet of battery-electric Class 8 trucks. The programme ultimately aims to support the deployment of more than 10,000 electric trucks.

A dedicated financing structure also forms part of the programme. ZET Financial will purchase vehicles and lease them to participating shippers and carriers, with the model designed in part to address residual-value risk associated with relatively new electric truck technologies.

Another major order as Tesla Semi production ramps up

The announcement comes shortly after Einride revealed plans to add 500 Tesla Semi trucks to its North American operations, with deployment scheduled over a two-year period.

Tesla, meanwhile, is moving towards higher-volume Semi production at its Nevada manufacturing operation. The company has reiterated a planned annual production capacity of 50,000 trucks, although actual production volumes remain considerably below that theoretical capacity as the industrial ramp-up continues.

The Semi is available in configurations targeting approximately 325 miles (523 km) and 500 miles (805 km) of range. Tesla began limited customer deliveries in late 2022, while the transition towards larger-scale production has taken substantially longer than originally planned.