Tesla wins lead role in 2,500-truck electric Class 8 order
The order is the largest for electric trucks in the U.S. to date, organizers say. Deployments will concentrate in 10 freight hubs from Los Angeles to Newark. The post Tesla wins lead role in 2,500-truck electric Class 8 order appeared first on FreightWaves .
Tesla has secured the lead supplier role for a massive 2,500-truck battery-electric Class 8 order, which organizers claim will nearly double the U.S. electric Class 8 fleet. The order, announced by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre, is the largest electric truck order in the U.S. to date. The trucks will be sourced through ZET SCALE, a program run by the two nonprofits, with Microsoft and PepsiCo as founding shippers.
The goal of the alliance is to have 10,000 trucks or more. Currently, only 875 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold in the U.S. in 2025, representing just 0.3% of the market. Catalyst Mobility's president and CEO, Michael Berube, emphasized the importance of organized demand in creating a market for electric trucks. Tesla's Semi program director, Dan Priestley, highlighted the lower cost per mile operations of the Tesla Semi compared to diesel.
Kenworth, RIDE, and Volvo were named secondary OEMs. ZET Financial, a strategic partner to the alliance, will manage the purchase and lease of the trucks, removing residual-value risk for carriers. The first round of trucks will be distributed in 10 freight hubs across the U.S., with recruitment ongoing for more shippers and carriers.
Advocacy groups have used this order to call for transparency in state incentives for zero-emission trucks and pressure legacy manufacturers to step up their offerings.
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