Walmart orders 30 more Tesla Semi trucks for its fleet
Walmart must be enthused with Tesla’s vision for electric trucking, since it’s quadrupling the size of its Semi order. The retailer is buying 30 additional Semis on top of the 10 it purchased back in November 2017, with the latest batch destined for Canada. The first 20 will bolster Walmart’s core fleet in Missisauga, while the rest will support a future fulfillment center in Surrey, BC that will rely solely on EVs. It’s part of a larger strategy that will see Walmart’s Canadian branch rely exclusively on “alternative power” for its fleet by 2028.
The Semi’s 500-mile range is apparently well-suited to Walmart’s usage habits, which revolve around one-day round trips. In other words, it wouldn’t work so well for multi-day or multi-point trips where there wouldn’t be many opportunities to recharge.
This isn’t the hugest order (PepsiCo, for instance, has 100 on deck). It does represent a vote of confidence from a major brand, however, and that could be crucial to Tesla when it’s still trying to win over customers ahead of the Semi’s 2019 production start — especially when competition is breathing down its neck.
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