Tesla secures lead role in 2,500-truck electric Class 8 order
Tesla won the lead supplier role in a 2,500-truck battery-electric Class 8 order announced Tuesday by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre. The order will nearly double the United States electric Class 8 fleet.
The order is managed through ZET SCALE, a program run by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre, with founding shippers Microsoft and PepsiCo aiming for 10,000 trucks or more. Tesla plans to inaugurate its Semi factory in Sparks, Nev., on Sept. 24, with capacity to build 50,000 trucks per year. ZET Financial will issue the purchase order and lease the trucks to carriers via its ZET Lease program, removing residual-value risk. The first deployment concentrates trucks in 10 freight hubs across California, Texas, the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast.
“The Tesla Semi is designed for lower cost per mile operations than diesel, ZET SCALE’s goals are exciting because they take the operational cost advantage and predictability that electricity provides and amplifies it at scale,” Dan Priestley, director for the Tesla Semi program said.
In 2025, only 875 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold in the United States, representing 0.3% of the market, according to Electrive and the International Council on Clean Transportation. Environmental groups including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club and Transport & Environment used the order to press legacy manufacturers on electric truck pricing in a joint release emailed to FreightWaves.
What we know
Tesla won the lead supplier role in a 2,500-truck battery-electric Class 8 order
The order will nearly double the U.S. electric Class 8 fleet
Only 875 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold in the U.S. in 2025
Tesla plans to inaugurate its Semi factory in Sparks, Nev., on Sept. 24
The plant is designed to build 50,000 trucks a year