‘The future of beer delivery’: Anheuser-Busch orders 40 Tesla electric self-driving trucks
The trucks will be fully electric-powered, helping Anheuser-Busch reach its commitment to reduce its operational carbon footprint by 30% by 2025 (which equates to taking nearly 500,000 cars off the road).
“We can’t wait to get these trucks on the road, and keep leading our industry forward to a greener, smarter future in partnership with some of the world’s most innovative companies,” said James Sembrot, senior director of Logistics Strategy.
“The transportation industry is evolving fast, and we’re really excited to play a leadership role in driving this evolution by integrating these new technologies across our network.”
Last year Anheuser-Busch carried out the world’s first commercial shipment via a self-driving truck: transporting a trailer of Budweiser across 120 miles (193km) along the I-25 from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
Anheuser-Busch is also working on partnerships with other transport developers: such as Nikola (to develop and implement hydrogen-powered engines) Otto and Uber Freight (testing autonomous driving technology) and Convoy (accessing on-demand trucking capability).
Self-driving trucks
As the largest brewer in the US, Anheuser-Busch ships more than 1.2 million truckloads a year.
In the case of the self-driving truck, a human driver is still involved with pickup and loading. However, once on the interstate highway, the truck can be switched to a self-driving mode.
This means drivers would be able to rest on long stretches of highway, thus offering the potential to extend productive hours without compromising on safety.
