Count Anheuser-Busch, the proud makers behind Budweiser, as the latest entrant in the Tesla semi pre-ordering sweepstakes.
The order for 40 Tesla Semis by Anheuser-Busch one of the largest reported by a single company to date. According to the company, the fleet of semis will be used to reduce its carbon footprint, part of a 2023 goal of wiping out 30 percent of its carbon emissions, or the equivalent of 500,000 cars a year.
"At Anheuser-Busch, we are constantly seeking new ways to make our supply chain more sustainable, efficient, and innovative," said James Sembrot, senior director of logistics strategy. "This investment in Tesla semi-trucks helps us achieve these goals while improving road safety and lowering our environmental impact." The beer brand said it's part of Anheuser-Busch's commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by 30 percent by 2025.
The show of force is not Anheuser-Busch's first foray into an autonomous world. In Oct. 2016, a Budweiser-carrying self-driving truck rode from Ft. Collins to Colorado Springs, Colorado, a 132-mile trip that made the Guinness Book of World Records for the "longest continuous journey by a driverless and autonomous semitrailer truck."
Anheuser-Busch is only one of roughly 10+ companies to sign on. Orders have spanned the gamut in size and customer type, such as three reservations for an Illinois-based landscaping company to upwards of 40 for the iconic beer brand. Walmart also recently made a 15-semi-truck reservation for its U.S. and Canadian operations.
Look for Tesla's semis to go into production in 2019.
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