, Columnist
Tesla’s Semi Is Getting Overtaken by China Inc.
China is seizing the moment in electric trucking.
Photo: Wang Zhao/AFP/Getty Images
Electric trucking is about to have its BYD Co. moment. Long considered an implausible alternative to conventional, diesel-powered road freight, EV trucks have been quietly growing into a formidable business.
Tesla Inc.’s Semi, first promised in 2017, is getting most of the headlines after finally going into mass-market production last week. But the real action is in China, where roughly 11% of the heavy long-distance trucks and 20% of the smaller ones sold over the past year were battery-only.