FedEx Reserves 20 Tesla Semi Electric Trucks

FedEx Corp. has placed a reservation for 20 Tesla Semi trucks. Less-than-truckload unit FedEx Freight will operate the fully electric trucks, which are scheduled to begin production in 2019.

This new big rig will deliver a far better experience for truck drivers, while increasing safety and significantly reducing the cost of cargo transport, according to Tesla. Its advanced technologies, such as surround cameras and onboard sensors, help to aid object detection while also enabling Enhanced Autopilot for automatic emergency braking, automatic lane keeping, and lane departure warning. The company also touts electric energy cost savings that are half that of diesel.

FedEx says it has saved more than 158 million gallons of vehicle fuel since 2008 by replacing vehicles with more efficient models and making greater use of electric vehicles, fuel cells, natural gas, hybrids and clean truck technologies.