Dive Brief:
- IMC Logistics is adding 50 Tesla Semis to its California operations, the marine drayage provider announced in a press release last month. The company told Trucking Dive in an email that it expects to receive the order in Q4.
- Standard-range models will support drayage operations in the state, and long-range trucks will transport freight between Southern California and inland locations, the company said.
- Jim Gillis, Pacific region president at IMC, said the additions are part of a strategy toward “zero-emission service for long haul lanes” and to make sustainability part of day-to-day drayage operations in a “blended approach” not reliant on one single technology.
Dive Insight:
Tesla Semis are drawing interest from a variety of fleets, from Sweden-based Einride to Arkansas-based ABF Freight, as diesel prices in California exceed $8 per gallon.
The OEM says its estimated range is up to 500 miles, and several fleets, according to a North American Council for Freight Efficiency study, had a probable maximum range on a single charge anywhere from 335 miles to 450 miles.
For IMC, the Tesla Semi additions complement the company’s existing battery-electric, diesel and hydrogen fuel cell trucks in California. The state has sought to incentivize the technology but has been clashing with the current federal administration on environmental regulations.
IMC received the keys in a ceremony last month with the EV manufacturer. “We are supposed to take actual delivery later this week or early next week,” VP of Marketing and Public Relations Jennifer Shaffer said in a Sept. 29 email to Trucking Dive.
According to Chief Commercial Officer Brian Kobza, IMC has successfully deployed a mix of zero-emission vehicles on the West Coast. In a LinkedIn post, he said diesel will “remain critical for years” but added that “EVs have already earned a place in port and regional operations where the economics and infrastructure make sense.”
