What was ordered
Catalyst Mobility and Smart Freight Centre announced September 22 that the ZET SCALE alliance's first request for proposals produced an order for 2,500 battery-electric Class 8 trucks. ZET Financial is issuing the purchase order and plans to place the trucks with participating fleets through a fair-market-value lease program.
Tesla was selected as the primary original equipment manufacturer. Kenworth, RIDE and Volvo were named as secondary options for carriers whose routes or equipment needs call for a different truck. The announcement does not state how many trucks each manufacturer will supply, so the 2,500 figure should not be read as 2,500 Tesla Semis.
Where deployments are planned
The initial program is focused on 10 freight hubs: Los Angeles, Stockton and Bakersfield in California; Seattle-Tacoma; Houston, Dallas and San Antonio; the Chicago area; Atlanta; and the Newark-New York City area.
The organizations describe the purchase order as the opening round of a larger program, but they did not publish a delivery schedule, carrier allocation, charging provider or route-by-route launch date. The announcement is an order and deployment plan, not confirmation that the trucks are already operating in those markets.
What it means for fleets and drivers
ZET SCALE aggregates freight demand from shippers so manufacturers can bid at higher volume. Founding shippers include Microsoft and PepsiCo, although the announcement does not assign specific trucks, carriers or routes to either company.
For fleets, the lease structure is intended to reduce residual-value risk and evaluate electricity, financing, maintenance and duty-cycle costs together. Drivers and technicians should expect any real deployment to require route planning, reliable charging, training and operating procedures for the equipment selected. This announcement does not change CDL rules, create a purchase mandate or guarantee that a participating fleet will receive a truck.
Primary sources and supporting records
- Catalyst Mobility and Smart Freight Centre: Largest Electric Truck Order Will Nearly Double the U.S. Electric Class 8 FleetPrimary announcement for the purchase order, OEM selections, lease structure and initial freight hubs • Published 2026-09-22 • Checked September 23, 2026 at 5:11 PM
- FreightWaves: Tesla wins lead role in 2,500-truck electric Class 8 orderIndependent trucking-industry reporting and operational context • Published 2026-09-23 • Checked September 23, 2026 at 5:11 PM
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