Hot off the stage this week, Musk and Tesla are surely enjoying the orders coming in for their new electric Semi truck. First Walmart placed an order for several Semi trucks from Tesla, and now we’re learning that Canadian grocery giant Loblaw is putting in a fair sized order as well.
Canadian grocery giant Loblaw is ordering 25 of the heavy duty electric trucks from Tesla (via Canadian Press). With $5,000 deposit upfront for the Semi truck, at the moment, we don’t know that full upfront cost of the vehicle. This is most likely something Tesla is still working on while it gets reservations for the Semi truck. Tesla is expected to start shipping the Semi truck in 2019.
One of the main reasons why Loblaw has ordered 25 electric trucks from Tesla is part of a bigger goal that it’s trying to achieve. The company wants to run a fully electric vehicle fleet to support its stores, and the goal is to reduce its emissions impact by 2030. The plan is to have as many as 350 zero-emission vehicles in operation by that time, and take the diesel trucks off the road to reduce the carbon footprint their trucks are having right now.
Tesla’s advertised that the cost of operation for its electric Semi will help shippers save money on a per mile basis immediately. This will help offset the resistance companies may feel when investing large amounts into Tesla’s Semi truck. Even though we don’t know the cost of the Semi, it will surely be fairly steep.
Loblaw and Walmart investing in Tesla’s vision tells us that the company’s dream of electric truck fleet isn’t all that crazy, and in fact can be a reality. It’s a perfect time for Tesla to come out with the Semi because businesses are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint as they look to further expand their business worldwide. They want to reduce and eliminate their footprint over the lifetime of the electric fleet they hope to use.
