As Tesla nears mass production of the Semi, Deutsche Post’s logistics company DHL is adding more electric trucks to its fleet.
In an interview with Transport Topics published on Monday, DHL Supply Chain executive Stephan Schablinski said the firm will add more Semi trucks to its fleet in 2026 as part of its long-term decarbonization strategy.
By 2030, DHL aims for 66% of its last-mile delivery fleet to use battery-electric or other zero-emission technologies.
Schablinski, who serves as VP of GoGreen North America at the logistics firm, said they have “more than just a handful” of trucks on order with Tesla, and they “can’t wait to put them into operation.”
“One hundred fifty trucks is not the end of our story,” the executive said, referring to its overall electric truck fleet. “We want to scale it up even more.”
DHL plans to operate the Semi trucks beyond California, where it was first tested, with Schablinski mentioning Ohio and Pennsylvania as potential locations.
Production Timeline
Deliveries are expected to begin from the second half of 2026 onward, the executive said.
After several delays, Tesla executives have confirmed the timeline for production beginning in late 2025.
“The factory is going on schedule. We’ve completed the building and are installing the equipment now,” VP of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy said during the latest earnings call in October.
According to Moravy, Tesla was set to “have larger builds toward the end of this year,” and from next year ramp into the second quarter, “with real volume coming in the back half of the year.”
A few weeks later, during the Annual Shareholder Meeting, Elon Musk reiterated that the company already had “a lot of prototype Tesla Semis in operation,” with PepsiCo as an example.
“We will start volume production at our Northern Nevada factory in 2026,” the CEO stated.
DHL Semi Tests
The company first included a Tesla Semi in its fleet in 2024, with a pilot in Livermore, California, where the truck covered more than 3,000 miles of regular routes.
The Semi claims a range between 300 and 500 km, with less than 2 kWh per mile (1.24 kWh per km) of energy consumption.
According to DHL, the truck averaged 1.72 kWh per mile during testing, hauling a gross combined weight of 75,000 pounds over a 390-mile route.
Earlier this month, the firm revealed that the trial was “successful” and the truck is now circulating in Central California, as part of the fleet.
“Our pilot of the Tesla Semi exceeded expectations, proving its ability to efficiently haul a typical DHL freight over long distances on a single charge,” President of Transportation at DHL Supply Chain NA Jim Monkmeyer stated.
According to the company, the truck is travelling approximately 100 miles per day, requires charging about once per week, and offers a range of up to 500 miles fully loaded.
DHL projects a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 50 metric tons annually.
Electric Fleet
DHL’s fleet in the United States includes over 150 Class 8 battery-electric trucks, with Schablinski telling TT that “there’s not one silver bullet” as its portfolio is made of several brands.
In 2024, the company had partnered with the now bankrupt Nikola Corp to deploy two fuel-cell electric trucks (FCEV) in its fleet.
However, DHL has since halted the use of FCEVs in its fleet. “It’s maybe not the right time for that technology,” Schablinski said.
Despite being “convinced that there will be a revival,” the executive noted that “it will not be anytime soon.”
