Big freight haulers want some tryout time with Tesla’s new semi-truck.
Orders are trickling in for the sleek vehicle, unveiled in mid-November. On Tuesday, UPS said it wants 125. Last week, PepsiCo ordered 100. Budweiser parent Anheuser-Busch reserved 40. Sysco, the big food distributor wants 50. Wal-Mart ordered 15.
That’s peanuts compared with the 940,000 heavy-duty semi trucks sold around the world each year, 238,000 of them in the U.S. — and the Tesla truck won’t be available until 2019 at least.
But it’s a strong start for a new entry in the semi market. And it proves that major freight operators, intent on cutting costs without degrading service wherever possible , are taking the Tesla Semi seriously.
Efraim Levy, a stock analyst for CFRA, thinks Tesla stock is overpriced, but he said the orders “do show some corporate backing for the semi truck initiative.”
Trucking is anything but environmentally friendly. Current-generation semis get around 6 to 8 miles to the gallon. Diesel engines, like all internal combustion engines, spew fumes that contribute to global warming.
But it’s an essential industry: Trucks haul 70% of the freight in the United States. And if fleet owners can get the job done with significant cost-cutting while satisfying government clean air regulations, they’ll go electric, whether from Tesla or from somebody else.
“Heavy-duty customers buy from a spreadsheet,” said Mary Gustanski, chief technology officer of motor vehicle supplier Delphi Technologies. Cool looks might excite PepsiCo’s marketing department, but performance and efficiency are what would spread the Tesla Semi through the fleet.
The early fleet buyers will begin real-world testing after they buy their trucks. (Tesla said deposits range from $5,000 to $20,000 and are refundable.)
Much of the testing is likely to take place in Nevada: Tesla’s battery factory is there, Nevada state law encourages semi-truck experimentation on public highways and freight distribution points dot the state in a way that makes a 300- to 500-mile range workable.
READ MORE: http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-truck-orders-20171219-story.html