A new shipper-carrier alliance called ZET SCALE has placed what it says is the largest electric Class 8 truck order in US history: 2,500 battery-electric trucks, with Tesla named as the primary supplier. The alliance, launched by Catalyst Mobility and the Smart Freight Centre, says the order alone would nearly double the number of electric Class 8 trucks on US roads, and it is targeting more than 10,000 trucks over time. Founding shippers include Microsoft and PepsiCo. Tesla framed the announcement as "2,500 Semis on order," but the alliance's number covers 2,500 Class 8 trucks with Tesla as lead supplier, so the full total may not be all Semis.
The trucks are slated for deployment across 10 freight hubs, including Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Newark/New York area, over the next few years. A financing arm called ZET Financial issues the purchase orders and runs a lease program designed to take residual-value risk off fleets' books. Catalyst Mobility CEO Michael Berube said, "You can have good technology and still not have a market," while Tesla Semi program director Dan Priestley said the alliance's goals amplify the truck's operational advantages at scale.
The order lands the same week Tesla inaugurates its Nevada Semi factory, which has a nameplate capacity of 50,000 trucks a year, though analysts expect only 5,000 to 15,000 Semis delivered in 2026. Separately, IMC Logistics, one of North America's largest drayage operators, ordered 50 Tesla Semis for California, splitting between Standard Range trucks for port drayage and Long Range trucks for inland runs. IMC already operates 56 zero-emission vehicles and said it is taking a blended approach, running hydrogen fuel-cell and renewable-diesel trucks alongside battery-electric ones. "We are focused on making sustainability attainable in day-to-day drayage operations," said Jim Gillis, Pacific Region President at IMC Logistics.