Tesla has been selected as the primary manufacturer for an initial order of 2,500 electric Class 8 trucks from ZET SCALE, a new alliance of shippers and carriers. The order could nearly double the number of electric heavy-duty trucks operating in the United States.
Catalyst Mobility, the nonprofit formerly known as CALSTART, announced the selection on Tuesday. Catalyst Mobility operates ZET SCALE in partnership with the Smart Freight Centre.
Tesla Selected As Primary Manufacturer
Tesla was chosen as the primary supplier following a competitive request-for-proposals process. The alliance evaluated manufacturers based on factors including vehicle price, range, charging capability and production capacity.
Kenworth, RIDE and Volvo were also selected as secondary manufacturers. Carriers participating in the programme can choose those manufacturers where their operating requirements call for different vehicle specifications.
ZET SCALE has not disclosed how the 2,500-truck order will be divided among Tesla and the secondary manufacturers. As a result, the number of Tesla Semi trucks included in the order has not been specified.
Founding shippers, including Microsoft and PepsiCo, pooled freight demand through the alliance, allowing participating manufacturers to bid against a combined requirement rather than an individual fleet order.
Dan Priestley, director of the Tesla Semi program, said:
“The Tesla Semi is designed for lower cost per mile operations than diesel.”
Leasing Model To Support Fleet Deployment
The programme is structured to reduce the upfront purchasing requirements for participating carriers. ZET Financial is issuing the purchase order for all 2,500 trucks and will subsequently place the vehicles with fleets through fair market value leases.
The trucks are expected to be deployed over the next several years across 10 freight hubs in the United States. The locations include Los Angeles, Stockton, Bakersfield, Seattle and Tacoma, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Newark-New York area.
ZET SCALE said the 2,500-truck order represents the first stage of a longer-term programme. The alliance has set a longer-term target of 10,000 or more electric trucks.
Largest U.S. Electric Truck Order
If Tesla secures a majority of the 2,500 vehicles, the order would represent the largest Tesla Semi deal announced to date. The alliance’s announcement also exceeds previously reported large electric truck orders in the U.S., although the exact Tesla allocation remains undisclosed.
Einride announced an order for 500 electric trucks in August, while WattEV’s 370-truck order in May was previously described as the largest electric truck order in California at the time.
Einride’s chief executive has subsequently said the company expects all 500 trucks from its order to be delivered by the end of 2027.
Tesla Semi Factory Opens In Nevada
The ZET SCALE announcement comes shortly before Tesla’s planned inauguration of its dedicated Semi manufacturing facility in Nevada on September 24.
The 1.7-million-square-foot factory is located next to Gigafactory Nevada’s 4680 battery cell production lines. Tesla has designed the facility to produce up to 50,000 electric trucks annually.
The ZET SCALE order comes as Tesla prepares to expand production of the Semi, although the company has not disclosed how the new alliance’s order would be scheduled against other customer commitments.
