WattEV orders 370 Tesla Semis in record California EV deployment

ACT Expo deal pairs trucks with new MCS charging stations for Port of Oakland drayage.

(Photo: WattEV)

The long-awaited Tesla Semi has landed a major order. WattEV announced Tuesday at ACT Expo that it ordered 370 Tesla Semi Class 8 electric trucks. Deliveries of the first 50 Semis will begin in 2026. Once complete by the end of 2027, the deployment will be the largest single electric truck deployment in California. 

The move comes as the Tesla Semi enters mass production at its Nevada factory. More than 300 of these WattEV Semis will operate under a joint program with the Port of Oakland.

To charge them, WattEV plans to open truck-charging stations at the Port of Oakland and in Fresno. Once the stations come online, they will be equipped with Tesla’s Megawatt Charging System (MCS) chargers. These chargers can add 300 miles of range to a Semi in about 30 minutes.

“We selected the Tesla Semi based on cost, performance and availability after issuing a public request for proposals,” said Salim Youssefzadeh, WattEV’s CEO, at ACT Expo in Las Vegas.

WattEV plans to open additional charging depots later this year in Stockton and Sacramento, with the latter breaking ground in 2026. The company operates a vertically integrated model that combines vehicle deployment, megawatt-class charging infrastructure and full-service leasing. This creates a turnkey path for carriers with no capital risk.

WattEV’s strategic bet is that these battery-electric trucks will lower energy costs and reshape long-haul trucking economics within this decade.

In 2025, WattEV’s 75-truck fleet of EV tractors and drayage trucks surpassed 7 million miles to date. “This deployment is a major step toward WattEV’s national expansion into long-haul electric transportation. We intend to be the operator that builds the infrastructure, the fleet and the logistics platform for electrified freight delivery at scale,” Youssefzadeh said.

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Thomas Wasson

Based in Chattanooga, Tenn., Thomas is a writer and trucking analyst at FreightWaves. He reports on emerging truck technology trends and hosts the Truck Tech and Loaded and Rolling newsletters and podcasts. Previously, he worked at the digital trucking startup aifleet, Arrive Logistics and U.S. Xpress Enterprises. While at U.S. Xpress, he focused on fleet management, load planning, freight analysis and truckload network design.