Anheuser-Busch places order for 40 Tesla electric trucks

Anheuser-Busch said it has placed an order for 40 Tesla electric Class 8 trucks, which is believed to be the largest individual order placed thus far.

“At Anheuser-Busch, we are constantly seeking new ways to make our supply chain more sustainable, efficient, and innovative,” said James Sembrot, senior director of logistics strategy. “This investment in Tesla semi-trucks helps us achieve these goals while improving road safety and lowering our environmental impact.”

Last month, CEO Elon Musk unveiled Tesla’s electric Class 8 truck, which he said can offer as much as a 500-mile range and will be available in 2019. Jalopnik is maintaining a page listing every announced order for the Tesla truck thus far. 

Tesla said that orders require a $20,000 deposit per truck. When the truck was initially unveiled, that figure was $5,000. The cost of each truck starts at $150,000.

Anheuser-Busch said the trucks are part of a strategy to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30% by 2025.

“We can’t wait to get these trucks on the road, and keep leading our industry forward to a greener, smarter future in partnership with some of the world’s most innovative companies,” said Sembrot.  “The transportation industry is evolving fast, and we’re really excited to play a leadership role in driving this evolution by integrating these new technologies across our network.”

Anheuser-Busch is also working with Nikola to develop and implement hydrogen-powered engines, Otto and Uber Freight to test autonomous driving technology, and Convoy to access on-demand trucking capacity.  

In 2016, an Otto truck carrying 51,744 cans of Budweiser completed an autonomous truckload shipment in Colorado.