Orders come in for Tesla electric trucks. Driverless big-rigs are not far behind

Wal-Mart announced it will order copies of the Tesla Semi. Although the retailer only plans to buy 15—five for the U.S. and 10 for Canada—the deal opens up plenty of opportunities for future collaboration with Tesla. “We believe we can learn how this technology performs within our supply chain, as well as how it could help us meet some of our long-term sustainability goals, such as lowering emissions,” Wal-Mart said in a statement, reports Reuters. J.B. Hunt, a big truck fleet operator, said it has placed a reservation to buy “multiple” Tesla Semi tractors. It’s the first major U.S. trucking company to announce such a deal with Tesla. The trucks will help support J.B. Hunt’s operations on the West Coast. “We believe electric trucks will be most beneficial on local and dray routes, and we look forward to utilizing this new, sustainable technology,” J.B. Hunt president and CEO John Roberts said in a statement. Tesla says the Semi can travel 500 miles on a single charge at max weight, assuming the driver is going 60 mph. With the help of four electric motors borrowed from the Model 3 sedan, the truck can hit 60 mph in just 5 seconds, or 20 seconds while towing. The Semi has a maximum towing capacity of 80,000 pounds and is categorized as a class 8 heavy duty truck.