Tesla wins 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 that its organizers say will nearly double the U.S. electric Class 8 fleet. Catalyst Mobility, the clean transportation nonprofit formerly known as CALSTART, and the Smart Freight Centre announced the order Tuesday and called it the largest electric truck order in the U.S. to date.

The trucks are being ordered through ZET SCALE, the Zero-Emission Truck Shipper-Carrier Alliance Leading Electrification, a program the two nonprofits run together. Its founding shippers include Microsoft and PepsiCo. The alliance’s stated goal is 10,000 trucks or more.

According to reporting by Electrive, only 875 zero-emission heavy trucks were sold in the U.S. in 2025, 0.3% of the market, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation’s August 2026 global market monitor for zero-emission trucks and buses.

Pooled freight demand drove the bid

ZET SCALE aggregated freight volume from its member shippers and put the trucks out through an independent request for proposals.

“You can have good technology and still not have a market,” said Michael Berube, president and CEO of Catalyst Mobility. “What is different about ZET SCALE is that the demand was organized so manufacturers could price at scale. That is how costs move, and that is how clean trucks leave the pilot phase.”

The alliance scored bids on price, range, charging capability and production capacity before selecting Tesla.

“The Tesla Semi is designed for lower cost per mile operations than diesel,” said Dan Priestley, director for the Tesla Semi program. “ZET SCALE’s goals are exciting because they take the operational cost advantage and predictability that electricity provides and amplifies it at scale.”

Kenworth, RIDE and Volvo were named secondary OEMs, available to carriers whose operations call for a different truck. Catalyst did not say how many of the 2,500 trucks will be Semis.

Tesla plans to inaugurate its Semi factory in Sparks, Nev., on Sept. 24. The plant is designed to build 50,000 trucks a year.

Lease keeps residual risk off carriers

ZET Financial, a strategic partner to the alliance, is issuing the purchase order for the 2,500 trucks and will place them with carriers through its fair market value lease program. The structure, called ZET Lease, removes residual-value risk from the fleet operator. Catalyst said that risk has kept many carriers and fleets on the sidelines.

The company also builds a cost analysis around each fleet’s own duty cycle and operating data. Peter Flynn, CEO and founder of ZET Financial, said that assessment accounts for financing, electricity versus diesel fuel and maintenance.

The first round concentrates trucks in 10 freight hubs: Los Angeles, Stockton and Bakersfield in California; Seattle-Tacoma; Houston, Dallas and San Antonio; the Chicago area; Atlanta; and the Newark-New York City area. The alliance is recruiting more shippers and carriers to expand into new regions.

Advocacy groups press legacy truck makers

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 the Sunrise Project emailed to FreightWaves.

The median price of a U.S. battery-electric Class 8 tractor rose 27% between model years 2020 and 2025, to $411,200, according to the ICCT’s September 2025 working paper, “Battery electric commercial vehicle pricing in the United States.” The median diesel equivalent in that dataset was $172,500. Both figures are in 2022 dollars.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 1213 on Sept. 20. His office said the law aims to improve transparency in state incentives for zero-emission trucks. The groups’ release said it requires manufacturers to disclose vehicle price information as a condition of receiving state subsidies.

“Fleets are tired of the financial whiplash from unpredictable diesel prices, and the ZETScale announcement is a clear sign that buyers are ready to move,” said Guillermo Ortiz, senior clean vehicle advocate at NRDC. “This order is a massive wake-up call for the market. The buyers are here with real purchasing power, and legacy manufacturers need to read the room and step up before they lose their competitive edge.”

Charging and staffing come next

Neither release names a charging provider for the 10 hubs. ZET Financial offers participating fleets advisory services on infrastructure and charging.

“After more than 2 million electric miles in real drayage operations, we know that Class 8 electric trucks can perform at scale,” said Rudy Diaz, CEO of Hight Logistics, in the advocacy groups’ release. “The trucks are only one part of the equation. Successful deployment also requires dependable charging infrastructure, careful route planning, trained drivers and technicians, and operations built around the capabilities of the equipment.”

“Large orders like this are an encouraging sign for the industry, but the focus must remain on putting trucks into service and keeping them productive every day,” Diaz said.

The post Tesla wins lead role in 2,500-truck electric Class 8 order appeared first on FreightWaves.