Walmart has ordered an additional 30 Tesla electric semi trucks in an attempt to have an entirely electric Canadian fleet by the year 2022.
Back in November of 2017, Walmart was one of the first companies to place an order for the Tesla semi truck and now, the company has added 30 semi trucks to its order as it works toward completely electrifying its fleet in Canada.
The 45 total Tesla semi trucks will be used in Canada – 20 out of Mississauga, Ontario and the remaining 25 out of the under-construction distribution center in Surrey, British Colombia, which is set to be the first full-size distribution center to operate with an entirely electric fleet, reported Electrek.
Walmart Canada orders another 30 Tesla semi-trucks in aim to shed diesel https://t.co/54bio00BKx pic.twitter.com/wSDvBc96qz
— Financial Post (@financialpost) September 6, 2018
“We are always looking for innovative ways to minimize our impact on the environment and lead the industry in the drive for sustainable change,” said John Bayliss, senior vice-president, logistics and supply chain for Walmart.
“We believe we can learn how this technology performs within our supply chain, as well as how it could help us meet some of our long-term sustainability goals, such as lowering emissions.”
Walmart says that the electric trucks will mostly be used for day-routes between distribution centers and stores and expects the electric semi truck’s range to “easily be able to support most of its needs.” It better, because since Walmart’s initial order of 25 Tesla semi trucks, the reservation price has gone up from $5,000 to $20,000 just for the “base model,” meaning that Walmart has already invested $600,000 in just its new order of electric Tesla semi trucks alone before they’ve even gone into production.
As of September 6th, there was still no exact date for production of the Tesla semi truck, though it is said that production is expected to begin “as soon as next year.”
