Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (NYSE:BUD) has reserved 40 of Telsa Inc.’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) electric semi-trucks.
AB InBev, which owns the Budweiser beer brand, will use the trucks for shipments to wholesalers within 150 to 200 miles of its brewery locations in an effort to reduce fuel costs and emissions.
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The truck, which can drive 500 miles on a single charge, is not available until 2019.
James Sembrot, ABInBev’s senior director of logistics strategy, said the company has not decided whether to buy the vehicles outright or to lease them.
The company has a fleet of about 750 trucks, which have the ABInBev branding but are owned and managed by outside carriers.
The group could also ask one of its dedicated carriers to buy or lease the Tesla trucks.
“We put the reservations down so we can prioritize our place in line," Sembrot said. "We don't know who the carrier is going to be in two to three years when these things are actually produced.
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The reservation was placed before the truck was unveiled in California last month.
Sembrot declined to reveal the cost of the reservation but Tesla had set deposits at US$5,000 at the time of the announcement and has since raised the amount to US$20,000.
The trucks are expected to list for US$150,000 to US$200,000. A new diesel-powered heavy-duty truck can sell for US$150,000
Deutsche Post AG's (ETR:DPW) DHL, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. have also made reservations for the truck.