Beer Company Orders 40 Tesla Semi Trucks

If you see a Tesla Semi on the road in the next few years, it could be delivering beer. Anheuser-Busch has put its name down for 40 Tesla Semis in one of the largest reported reservations so far for the electric truck.

The beer conglomerate has taken an interest in the Tesla trucks as it works to reduce its operational carbon footprint 30 percent by 2025. Achieving this goal is the equivalent of removing nearly 500,000 cars from the road globally each year, the company says.

“At Anheuser-Busch, we are constantly seeking new ways to make our supply chain more sustainable, efficient, and innovative,” said James Sembrot, the company’s senior director of Logistics Strategy. “This investment in Tesla semi-trucks helps us achieve these goals while improving road safety and lowering our environmental impact.”

Tesla unveiled the Semi in November, and a number of big companies have already placed reservations. Wal-Mart plans to buy 15 trucks, five for the U.S. and 10 for Canada. J.B. Hunt, a big truck fleet operator, will purchase “multiple” Semis that will deploy on the West Coast.

Assuming a speed of 60 mph, Tesla says the Semi can travel 500 miles on a single charge at max weight. At one of Tesla’s new solar-powered Megachargers, the Semi can regain 400 miles back in just 30 minutes. The truck can go from 0-60 in just 5 seconds, or 20 seconds while towing. Tesla promises semi production will begin in 2019, though it’s currently suffering huge losses on account of Model 3 production delays.

The trucks will come equipped with Tesla’s Enhanced Autopilot semi-autonomous system, which will allow for partial self-driving capability on the highway. Last year, an autonomous truck from Uber made a beer run 132 miles through Colorado in what was said to be the world’s first commercial shipment by a self-driving truck. And the company behind the stunt was no other than Anheuser-Busch. The truck carried 51,744 cans of Budweiser on its autonomous journey.

Source: Anheuser-Busch

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