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DHL Orders 10 Tesla Semis

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DHL and Fortigo Freight Services are the latest fleet operators to announce orders for the Tesla Semi.

“At DHL Supply Chain, we’re always thinking beyond today’s shipment — whether that be thinking about tomorrow, next month or two years from now when these trucks become available,” Jim Monkmeyer, President of Transportation at DHL Supply Chain, said in a release. “This is a revolutionary approach to trucking, and we want to be a part of it for our customers, for our associates and for our industry.”

DHL said it has ordered 10 of the trucks, while Canada’s Fortigo Freight has ordered more than one. The companies join early reservation holders J.B. Hunt, Wal-Mart, Loblaws and Ryder.

The Semi is slated to go into production in 2019 and will have a base price of $150,000.

DHL said they will use the trucks for shuttle runs and same-day customer deliveries, and will test for fuel efficiency on longer runs from major markets to other DHL operations across the country.

“Factors like comfort and time on the road play a large role in driver job satisfaction,” Monkmeyer said. “While we always try to optimize transportation routes to allow our drivers to be home same-day, we’re also excited about the potential to bring our drivers the comfort and safety benefits that the Tesla Class 8 truck could offer.”

 
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In DHL's place, I'd have ordered 100 or 1000 if I had to, just to stay informed as possible on the development details. If Tesla can't make bigger deliveries happen soon enough, go to a competitor, or even create one from the next batch of Tesla mutineers :)
 
In DHL's place, I'd have ordered 100 or 1000 if I had to, just to stay informed as possible on the development details.
They're just testing the waters. Why would they make such a large up front commitment? You think DHL should just hand Tesla $5 Million with nothing to show for it for 2 years? Not sure how they would justify that to their shareholders. Right now, the main benefit for DHL is PR and that's probably worth the $50K deposit. In a couple years if Tesla delivers then they can place a larger order.

That seems to be the reasonable strategy for most shipping companies looking to place an order.
 
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They're just testing the waters. Why would they make such a large up front commitment? You think DHL should just hand Tesla $5 Million with nothing to show for it for 2 years? Not sure how they would justify that to their shareholders. Right now, the main benefit for DHL is PR and that's probably worth the $50K deposit. In a couple years if Tesla delivers then they can place a larger order.

That seems to be the reasonable strategy for most shipping companies looking to place an order.
All about remaining close to the project. I would not be surprized if they simply asked the minimum order quanitity to keep as well informed as those that came before them. Information doesn't come free, 10 pre-orders seems a nice average amount. Takes a high-up signature at DHL for sure. And it being a B2B product range, no need to scare away the customer with such a large last-mile fleet. Who knows what factory they'll buy, hire or build and what flexibility that will offer to supply the likes of DHL with smaller more numerous vehicles and energy products?
 
Most of these types of companies are too conservative for that. Also given how Tesla is with information and their track record with timelines, I'm not sure they would see much of an advantage.
In many countries, once a business relationship has been confirmed through a sale and delivery, further sales cannot be turned down. Good for DHL (or anyone) to at least be on board with Tesla, just in case the option should disappoint by the time 2022 rolls by, and costs need to be saved to remain competitive.