Tesla might be known more for their electric cars, but last year the company unveiled the Tesla Semi which is an electric truck clearly aimed at logistics companies who are looking to go green. One of the company’s early adopters was Walmart who announced plans to test the trucks by ordering a small number of them.It seems that maybe testing of the Semi went well because Walmart Canada has since announced their plans to expand their electric truck fleet by ordering an additional 30 units of the Semi, bringing it up to a total of 40 trucks in their fleet over in Canada. This is part of the company’s goal of electrifying their entire fleet of trucks by 2022.
According to John Bayliss, senior vice-president, logistics and supply chain, Walmart Canada, “We are always looking for innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and lead the industry in the drive for sustainable change. By converting 20 per cent of our fleet to electric vehicles by 2022 and committing to alternative power for all fleet vehicles by 2028, we are putting safety, innovation and sustainability at the forefront of our logistics network.”
Walmart is not alone in adopting the Semis as UPS had previously made a huge commitment themselves by pre-ordering 125 Semis. Tesla has also been trying to demonstrate some of the Semi’s capabilities, where they tested it out by letting it drive around the country and having it only be topped off via the Tesla Supercharger network, proving that it is more than capable of making long-haul trips.
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