UPS places pre-order for 125 Tesla semis

The UPS order brings the unofficial tally to over 400 of the electric-powered commercial trucks ordered since Tesla unveiled them in mid-November.    UPS Inc. has placed a reservation for 125 of Tesla’s new fully-electric Semi tractors, the global package delivery and logistics company announced Dec. 19.
   The order is the biggest for the trucks to date, surpassing PepsiCo’s 100 vehicle order last week.
   “For more than a century, UPS has led the industry in testing and implementing new technologies for more efficient fleet operations. We look forward to expanding further our commitment to fleet excellence with Tesla,” UPS Chief Information and Engineering Officer Juan Perez said in a prepared statement. “These groundbreaking electric tractors are poised to usher in a new era in improved safety, reduced environmental impact, and reduced cost of ownership.”
   The UPS order brings the unofficial tally to over 400 of the electric trucks ordered since Tesla unveiled the electric trucks a month ago. Companies making purchase reservations so far include Walmart, JB Hunt Transport Services, DHL and food distributor Sysco.
   Tesla’s Semi tractor claims up to 500 miles range on a single charge. Advertised safety features include automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, automated lane guidance, and brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire with redundancy.
   Tesla said it expects to begin production of the vehicles in 2019.
   UPS said it’s preorder is part of an overall commitment to reduce its absolute greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from global ground operations 12 percent by 2025. The company operates one of the largest commercial trucking fleets in the world, comprised of trucks and tractors propelled by electricity, natural gas, propane and other non-traditional fuels.
   UPS has established a goal for 25 percent of the electricity it consumes to come from renewable energy sources by 2025 and that by the same year, 40 percent of all its ground fuel will be from sources other than conventional gasoline and diesel. As of 2016, 19.6 percent of all its ground fuel was from alternative sources.