The ZET SCALE alliance, managed by nonprofits Catalyst Mobility and Smart Freight Centre, has placed an order for 2,500 Tesla Semi electric trucks. This transaction represents the largest order of electric Class 8 trucks in the United States to date.
Founding members of the coalition include Microsoft, PepsiCo, IKEA, Brambles, and Red Bull. The alliance aims to aggregate freight demand to secure volume-based pricing from manufacturers, with future plans to order 10,000 or more electric trucks.
ZET Financial will issue the purchase order and deploy the vehicles through a leasing program designed to mitigate residual-value risk for fleet operators. While Tesla is the primary OEM for the initial order, the alliance also lists Kenworth, RIDE, and Volvo as secondary options.
The International Council on Clean Transportation reported that the median price of a US battery-electric Class 8 tractor reached $411,200 in 2025, compared to $172,500 for a diesel equivalent. The alliance seeks to address these high upfront costs through collective bargaining.
Tesla's new factory in Sparks, Nevada, has a production capacity of 50,000 trucks annually. Despite the scale of the order, industry observers note that the alliance has yet to disclose specific charging partners or carrier details for its planned freight hubs.
