California leasing operation TCI Transportation ordering 50 Tesla Semis

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Updated Apr 16, 2018
TCI Co-Presidents Ryan and Andrew Flynn were able to take the Tesla Semi for an on-road demo.TCI Co-Presidents Ryan and Andrew Flynn were able to take the Tesla Semi for an on-road demo.

California-based truck leasing company TCI Transportation last week placed an order for 50 Tesla Semis.

Co-President Andrew Flynn said some of the company’s leasing customers have already spoken for some of the units upon arrival. Remaining units would be placed in operation along routes that can support the trucks’ 300 to 500 mile range.

TCI has a fleet of more than 2,000 trucks and operates full service facilities in Commerce, Bakersfield, Fontana, Stockton, Freemont, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

TCI joins a group of reservation holders that already includes FedEx, UPS, PepsiCo, Anheuser Busch, J.B. Hunt, Walmart, Ruan Transportation Management and others that have reserved the all-electric rigs. Late last year, UPS placed an order for 125 Tesla Semis, while PepsiCo reserved 100 and Anheuser Busch reserved 40.

Tesla has not confirmed total truck orders to date, but speculation swirls that number could be anywhere between just more than 1,000 to several thousand more.

Earlier this year, Tesla founder CEO Elon Musk told analysts he expects to sell 100,000 units or more annually by 2022.

Jason Cannon has written about trucking and transportation for more than a decade and serves as Chief Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. A Class A CDL holder, Jason is a graduate of the Porsche Sport Driving School, an honorary Duckmaster at The Peabody in Memphis, Tennessee, and a purple belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Reach him at [email protected].Â