Tesla Semi Generally Matches ArcBest’s Diesels, Pilot Finds
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ArcBest into what to expect from the long-awaited Tesla Semi battery-electric tractor in recent days, including energy consumption ratings and performance matching its diesel peers.
The lower an energy consumption rating, the greater the returns a carrier gets out of a battery-electric truck.
During a recent three-week pilot test, ArcBest’s ABF Freight less-than-truckload division racked up a total of 4,494 miles with one Semi, averaging 321 miles per day with an overall energy consumption of 1.55 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per mile.
Tesla pitches the Semi by promising energy consumption of less than 2 kWh per mile .
The world’s most valuable automaker by market capitalization also maintains CEO Elon Musk’s celebrated remark in 2017 that the Semi can travel up to 500 miles on a single charge.
ABF’s test of the Semi trounces the standard key performance indicator if taken as a stand-alone metric but also surpasses publicly available data released by carriers in earlier pilot tests and by the North American Council for Freight Efficiency.
DHL Supply Chain USA carried out a two-week pilot in the summer of 2024.
DHL integrated the truck into 3,000 miles of operations out of Livermore, Calif., including one trip of 390 miles with a gross combined weight of 75,000 pounds on a single charge.
During the trial, the tractor averaged 1.72 kWh per mile operating at speeds exceeding 50 mph on average for over half its time on the road.
DHL Supply Chain USA, which ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America, was publicly effusive about the Semi. “Our verdict: The Tesla Semi is ready for prime time!” DHL said.
PepsiCo was Tesla’s first customer for the tractor and operates 21 Semis in California. PepsiCo ranks No. 2 on the TT Top 100 list of the largest private carriers in North America. For 14 years through 2023, PepsiCo was ranked No. 1 on the private TT100.
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During NACFE’s Run on Less-Electric Depot program, Semis managed 1.61 kWh per mile, Dejan Antunovic, the beverage and snack giant’s electrification program manager, said during an IAA Transportation session in September 2024.
After the program ended, NACFE Executive Director Mike Roeth was similarly effusive, remarking: “The Tesla numbers speak for themselves. They are showing us sort of the future. It’s like the art of the probable here, we hear art of the possible, well, this is more the art of the probable, because it is real trucks, real freight.”
In NACFE’s next Run on Less program — the Messy Middle — in September 2025, Saia’s Stockton, Calif., service center is set to utilize a battery-electric Tesla Semi day cab tractor. Saia ranks No. 17 on the for-hire TT100 and No. 7 among LTL carriers.
ArcBest ranks No. 13 on the for-hire TT100 and No. 8 among LTL carriers.
The Tesla pilot was the carrier’s first, a spokeswoman said July 11, although ABF has carried out tests of other battery-electric trucks.
“We’re focused on using what we learned from the pilot to identify use cases or other transit lanes that could potentially achieve similar results,” she said in an email.
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During the pilot, ABF operated the Semi on typical dispatch lanes, including over-the-road routes between service centers in Reno, Nev., and Sacramento, Calif. The pilot also included regional runs in the Bay Area and rail shuttle operations.
ArcBest said the vehicle performed “well” on a cross section of routes — including the 7,200-foot climb over Donner Pass — and generally matched the performance of its diesel counterparts.
Feedback from drivers was positive, with employees noting the comfort, safety and ease of use, it added.
“We’re not looking for a truck that performs well ‘for an EV,’” said Matt Godfrey, ABF Freight president. “It must meet or exceed the performance and total cost of ownership targets of our most efficient diesel units. This pilot gives us great insight into the potential of EV semis in our operations.”
ArcBest does not currently operate any Class 8 battery-electric tractors. Its existing battery-electric portfolio comprises nine yard tractors, two forklifts and two Class 6 straight trucks.
Following the pilot test, ArcBest said it will continue to assess the long-term viability of Class 8 battery-electric tractors for its fleet.
(Tesla via YouTube)
With serial production expected to begin in 2026 after the Reno, Nev., factory is completed, pilot programs such as ArcBest’s are offering the many carriers that forked out money for a Semi and have not seen one a little more insight.
Construction of the factory began in 2023 at the site of Tesla’s existing Gigafactory Nevada. Tesla completed construction of the walls and roof at its forthcoming Reno, Nev., factory in January.
The Semi was first unveiled in 2017, with Musk vowing tractors would be on the road by 2019 and have the then-unexpected range of 500 miles.
