December 27, 2017 Vol. 14 No. 26

Hard to figure this is my last newsletter of the year, but wow, what a year it’s been. It feels like I’ve seen more new gizmology in the last 12 months than in the past 12 years. Or even more than that.

Lately, of course, it’s been all about the Tesla Semi electric truck. Orders are piling in, it seems, the latest being the largest so far as UPS announced just before Christmas that it has reserved 125 Semis. This tops the recent 100-truck order announced by PepsiCo in November.

The new tractors will join UPS’s extensive alternative fuel and advanced technology fleet, comprised of trucks and tractors propelled by electricity, natural gas, propane, and other non-traditional fuels.

The first of these electro-rigs is supposed to roll off the assembly line in 2019, but don’t hold your breath. Tesla has a history of ramping up production of its vehicles rather slowly. The company only managed to produce 260 of its new Model 3 electric cars in the third quarter of this year. The Model 3 was announced in 2016 and was also initially sold through a reservation system.

“These groundbreaking electric tractors are poised to usher in a new era in improved safety, reduced environmental impact, and reduced cost of ownership,” said Juan Perez, chief information and engineering officer at UPS.

TESLA’S NOT ALONE in aiming to create an all-electric heavy-duty tractor, and , surprisingly, one of its competitors is a tiny little startup located not much more than a stone’s throw from where the sexy Semi was launched in Los Angeles.