E-hauling fuels interest for Tesla Semi

SAN FRANCISCO - Big freight haulers want some tryout time with Tesla's new semi truck.

Orders are trickling in for the sleek vehicle, unveiled in mid-November. On Tuesday, United Parcel Service said it wants 125. Last week, PepsiCo ordered 100.

Budweiser parent Anheuser-Busch reserved 40. Sysco, the big food distributor, wants 50. Wal-Mart ordered 15.

That's peanuts compared with the 940,000 heavy-duty semi trucks sold around the world each year, 238,000 of them in the United States - and the Tesla truck won't be available until 2019 at the earliest.

But it's a strong start for a new entry in the semi market. And it proves that major freight operators, intent on cutting costs without degrading service wherever possible, are taking the Tesla Semi seriously.

Efraim Levy, a stock analyst for CFRA, thinks Tesla's stock is overpriced. But he said the orders 'do show some corporate backing for the semi truck initiative.”

Trucking is anything but environmentally friendly. Current-generation semis get around six to eight miles to the gallon.

Diesel engines, such as all internal combustion engines, spew fumes that contribute to global warming.

But it's an essential industry. Trucks haul 70 percent of the freight in the United States.

And if fleet owners can get the job done with significant cost-cutting while satisfying government clean air regulations, they'll go electric, whether from Tesla or from somebody else.

'Heavy-duty customers buy from a spreadsheet,” said Mary Gustanski, chief technology officer of motor vehicle supplier Delphi Technologies.

Cool looks might excite PepsiCo's marketing department, but performance and efficiency are what would spread the Tesla Semi through the fleet.

Tesla said Semi deposits range from $5,000 to $20,000 and are refundable.