VMA partners FedEx and UPS invested in Tesla’s Semi electric trucks. FedEx, the latest, recently ordered 20 vehicles to be deployed in its FedEx Freight department, and UPS reserved 125 trucks to try out, making it Tesla’s largest semi truck order-to-date.
Other companies to reserve the Tesla semis include: PepsiCo, Anheuser-Bush, Walmart, DHL and Loblaws, a Canadian grocery chain. The number of trucks ordered represents a small percentage of the company’s fleet, but it shows they’re at least willing to try them out.
“FedEx has a long history of innovation and incorporating sustainability efforts throughout its global network,” said FedEx Freight president and CEO Mike Ducker in a statement. “Our investment in these trucks is part of our commitment to improving road safety while also reducing our environmental impact.”
According to Tesla, the new semi will be safer and produce significantly less carbon footprint than their non-EV counterparts. It even has onboard sensors and cameras to help avoid traffic accidents, plus there’s an option for Enhanced Autopilot, promising features such as automatic emergency braking, lane keeping and lane departure warning.
The semi has a recharge rate of 400 miles in 30 minutes via Tesla’s new Megachargers, and will be able to travel up to 500 miles between stops. As for where the Megachargers will be built, right now that depends on customers like Pepsi and UPS to build them out themselves. At least to start, it seems like these trucks will be mostly kept to routes that keep them somewhat close to home. The trucks are set to deploy in the year 2019.
Remember, all VMA members get exclusive perks for both FedEx and UPS.
FedEx: Save up to 64% on all your company’s shipping needs for.
UPS: Save up to 30% on packages you ship anywhere in the world.
This article was originally excerpted from MSN, “FedEx Reserves 20 Tesla Electric Semi Trucks”.