California-based Trucking-as-a-Service (TaaS) company WattEV has announced a new deal with Tesla that will see it take delivery of 40 Semis for its growing fleet of zero-emissions heavy-duty trucks.
Per the agreement, WattEV will receive two of its Semis later this year. Upon delivery, they will be the first Semis to see action at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, the country's largest port complex.
“Tesla Semi is the only truck in the market that can deliver 500 miles on a single charge, with superb energy efficiency and fast charging,” said Salim Youssefzadeh, CEO of WattEV. "We've been future-proofing all our charging depots to allow for the transition from CCS charging to megawatt charging with MCS. Our collaboration with Tesla is another major milestone as we expand our network to electrify freight on more routes throughout California and beyond."
WattEV's ultimate goal is to have 12,000 heavy-duty electric trucks on California's roads by 2030, and a total of 100 charging stations in operation by 2035.
[Related: WattEV CEO explains how it's building America's largest EV trucking fleet]
This year appears to be the year of the Tesla Semi. Earlier this week, for example, the first Tesla Semi Megacharger station site blueprint was revealed along with a permit application. The station is being constructed in Los Angeles at 19300 S Hamilton Ave along the 405 and 110 corridors, not far from the Port of Long Beach.
[Related: Tesla reveals render of Nevada's upcoming Semi factory]
“We’re glad to see Tesla Semis deployed at Port of Long Beach,” added Mario Cordero, CEO of the Port of Long Beach. “This is another step forward towards increased adoption and our commitment to elimination of heavy-duty freight emissions at the port.”
Megawatt charging
WattEV has been laying the groundwork for additional battery-electric semis for several months. Last November, it announced a partnership with Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN) to make megawatt charging (MCS) its new charging standard.
[Related: ChargePoint: new Megawatt Charging System will revolutionize commercial trucking]
Tesla is also a big proponent of megawatt charging. Last year at the ACT Expo, Semi program manager Dan Priestley confirmed that PepsiCo, one of the few major corporations currently running routes in California with Tesla Semis, used megawatt charging to achieve a range of over 1,000 miles on a single charge.
