Walmart says it will buy an additional 30 Tesla Semis to add to the 10 it purchased in November last year.
Reuters reports that Walmart plans on having its entire truck fleet run on alternative power by 2028. Of the 45 which the company have now ordered, 20 will be used to support its fleet in Mississauga, Ontario, while 20 will be used from Surrey, British Columbia and the remaining five will be operated in the United States.
Tesla continues to develop the all-electric Semi and intends on commencing production by 2019.
Speaking earlier this year during a quarterly conference call, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said the Semi will have a range close to 600 miles (966 km). This bold claim comes despite rival Daimler claiming in public that such a range is simply impossible.
In fact, Daimler’s truck division chief, Martin Daum, said the Semi will defy the laws of physics if it can travel so far.
“If Tesla really delivers on this promise, we’ll obviously buy two trucks – one to take it apart and one to test because, if that happens, something has passed us by. But for now, the same laws of physics apply in Germany and California.”
The range-topping Semi in question is expected to start at $180,000 but a more affordable version will also be offered. This version will have a range of approximately 300 miles (480 km) and cost approximately $30,000.
Apart from Walmart, FedEx, UPS, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch and others have also placed orders for the all-electric truck.