INNOVATE - Loblaws, Walmart and J B Hunt have Purchased the Heavy-duty Telsa Trucks

A Need to Reduce Carbon Emissions is driving Tesla sales

Loblaws has pre-ordered 25 of Tesla's new heavy-duty electric trucks called the Tesla Semi to join Walmart in adopting the new technology.

“It’s part of our commitment to electrify our fleet,” spokeswoman Catherine Thomas said. The company has committed to have a fully electric fleet by 2030. To accomplish this goal Loblaws would need to add 350 zero-emission tractors and more than 2,000 zero emission trailers to its fleet.

The Ontario-based grocer says removing diesel from its transport trucks and refrigerated trailers could reduce more than 94,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the equivalent of removing more than 20,000 cars from the road.

Reuters is reporting that Walmart and J B Hunt Transport Inc a major US hauler have also placed firm orders for the Tesla Semi. 

Wal-Mart said it plans to order a total of 15 Tesla trucks, five for the United States and ten for Canada. The company operates a fleet of about 6,000 trucks in the United States.

JB Hunt Transport Inc is the first major U.S. trucking company to announce an order for Tesla’s new “Semi” electric trucks, saying it has reserved multiple vehicles for use on the U.S. West Coast.

According to Reuters, about 260,000 Class-8 trucks are produced in North America annually, with a value of about $28.6 billion. The first deliveries of the Tesla Semi trucks are expected in 2019. Tesla has not identified any other buyers for the truck but claims it will be faster, easier and safer to operate than comparable diesel trucks.

Tesla claims that a fully loaded Semi consumes less than two kilowatt-hours of energy per mile and has a range of about 800 kilometres. That could save owners at least US$200,000 in fuel costs over 1.6 million km.

Some analysts believe China will also be an early adopter of this technology.