Tesla Semi lands the biggest electric truck deal in U.S. history

teslarati.com Sep 23, 2026

Tesla Semi lands the biggest electric truck deal in U.S. history

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Sep 23, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Tesla has secured the largest U.S. electric‑truck order ever, as the new shippers’ alliance ZET SCALE named the company its primary manufacturer for an initial purchase of 2,500 Class 8 electric trucks. The deal, selected through a competitive request‑for‑proposals that evaluated price, range, charging capability and production capacity, will almost double the nation’s electric heavy‑truck fleet. Secondary manufacturers Kenworth, RIDE and Volvo were also approved, though the split of the 2,500 units remains undisclosed. Financing will be provided by ZET Financial via fair‑market‑value leases, with deliveries slated for ten freight hubs across the country over the next few years. The order precedes the opening of Tesla’s new Nevada Semi factory, a 1.7 million‑square‑foot facility built to produce up to 50,000 trucks annually.

💡 Why It Matters

· Demonstrating lower cost per mile than diesel, the contract provides a tangible business case that could fast‑track large‑scale adoption of electric trucks across U.S.
· logistics networks.

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Tesla Racism Trial Launches

California’s Civil Rights Department filed a lawsuit accusing Tesla of allowing pervasive race discrimination at its Fremont assembly plant, and the case began trial on Monday in Oakland before Superior Court Judge Peter Borkon, scheduled to run until Oct. 30. The complaint, filed in 2022, alleges continuous harassment, racial slurs, graffiti, segregation of Black workers into low‑pay, undesirable jobs, and systemic pay and promotion disparities. Plaintiffs say management ignored or dismissed complaints rather than intervening. The trial will be bench‑only, with a judge delivering the verdict. Tesla also faces a separate EEOC suit alleging racial harassment and dozens of individual discrimination actions, making the Fremont case one of the most high‑profile employment bias litigations against a major U.S. corporation in years.

💡 The courtroom showdown forces Tesla to address entrenched bias, a move that could reshape its labor practices and alter its reputation among workers and investors.

slashgear.com · Sep 22

5 Pickup Trucks That Are As Fast (Or Faster) Than Sports Cars

SlashGear’s Caroline Anschutz lists five pickup trucks that can out‑accelerate iconic sports cars such as the Corvette, Mustang, Porsche 911 and Miata. The roundup highlights that electric powertrains give several models a zero‑to‑60 time faster than many high‑performance coupes, thanks to instant torque. Among the electric contenders are the Rivian R1T, Ford F‑150 Lightning, and the upcoming Tesla Cybertruck, each posting sub‑3‑second runs in manufacturer data. For gasoline‑only buyers, the article includes the 2025 Chevrolet Silverado SS and the 2026 Ram 1500 TRX, both boasting sub‑4‑second sprint times while retaining traditional towing capacity. Anschutz notes that modern trucks now blend performance, luxury interiors and utility, challenging the stereotype that speed belongs only to sports cars in today’s competitive market and.

💡 Ultra‑fast pickups are reshaping buyer expectations, turning performance into a standard feature of utility vehicles.

teslarati.com · Sep 22

Why automakers keep turning down Elon Musk’s Tesla Full Self-Driving offer

Elon Musk confirmed on X that no automaker has taken Tesla’s offer to license its Full Self‑Driving (FSD) software. The comment responded to a tweet by Sawyer Merritt, who noted Tesla’s invitation and a prediction by Boom Supersonic founder Blake Scholl that the company would eventually open FSD as it did with its Supercharger network. Musk’s one‑word reply, “Exactly,” echoed a remark in November calling legacy makers’ reluctance “crazy.” Despite autonomous mileage from Waymo, Zoox and Tesla’s robotaxi fleet, manufacturers have declined because licensing would require adopting Tesla’s eight‑camera hardware and compute architecture, effectively turning their cars into Teslas. Moreover, a license would grant Tesla direct telemetry on competitors’ vehicles, data and safety incidents that rivals prefer to keep private.

💡 Automakers reject the deal to avoid handing Tesla real‑time insight into their own autonomous performance, preserving competitive secrecy.

247wallst.com · Sep 21

500 Tesla Semis Are Joining an Autonomous Trucking Fleet. At 94, an…

Einride announced a rollout of 500 Tesla semi‑trucks on its autonomous freight network, beginning in September 2026 across major U.S. corridors such as Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia, and New Jersey. The fleet will operate on Einride’s AI‑powered platform, signaling a significant shift toward electric, driver‑less trucking. Meanwhile, 94‑year‑old Iowa trucker Orrin Asmus continues to drive for McLaughlin Freight Lines, logging nearly 5 million career miles and 30 hours during his birthday week. His ongoing employment may still affect his Social Security earnings record, potentially raising his monthly benefit.

💡 The deployment of autonomous Teslas could reshape freight logistics, reducing labor costs and emissions. Asmus’s case illustrates how late‑career earnings can still influence retirement benefits, underscoring the nuanced impact of continued work on Social Security calculations.

teslarati.com · Sep 21

Tesla Roadster is available for order once again following brief hold

Tesla has re‑opened reservations for its next‑generation Roadster, requiring a $5,000 credit‑card deposit (refundable) and a $45,000 wire transfer within ten days, mirroring the 2017 reservation terms. The move comes days before an October 1 unveiling in Waco, Texas, near SpaceX’s McGregor test site, where the FAA has imposed a temporary flight restriction for a planned cold‑gas thruster demonstration. No official price, production start date, or final specifications have been disclosed on the order page. The Roadster, first previewed in 2017 with promised 0‑60 mph in 1.9 seconds, 250 mph top speed and 620‑mile range, has faced repeated delays, now projected for 2027‑2028 at Gigafactory Texas. The reopening tests buyer willingness after years of postponements and a redesign that leans on Cybertruck styling.

💡 It gauges market appetite for a high‑priced halo car before any concrete product exists, shaping Tesla’s cash flow and brand positioning ahead of its next major launch.

teslarati.com · Sep 21

Tesla Roadster event requires restricted airspace, and the FAA obliges

The FAA issued a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) covering a 1.5‑nautical‑mile radius around SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas, facility from September 18 to October 2, extending to 10,000 feet. The restriction, cited under 14 CFR 91.137(a)(3), prohibits aircraft and drones, coinciding with Tesla’s planned October 1 Roadster reveal in nearby Waco. The unusually high ceiling suggests potential flight or hover demonstrations, raising speculation about Tesla’s long‑promised SpaceX‑powered launch capabilities. The TFR signals that the FAA has cleared a large vertical slice of Texas airspace for the event.

💡 The high‑altitude restriction signals that Tesla’s Roadster may perform more than a static display, potentially demonstrating a new propulsion system that could redefine automotive launch technology.