R.R. Plett Trucking will begin installing Canada’s first Tesla Megawatt Charging System (MCS) chargers next month, the B.C. company told Electric Autonomy in an exclusive interview.
The 1.2 MW chargers will go in at the company’s headquarters in Langley, B.C., and at its facility in Kamloops, ahead of 12 Tesla Semi trucks expected for delivery next June. Plett put down deposits on the trucks when Tesla first announced the Semi in 2017.
The chargers are a major step up from the DC fast chargers the company uses today. Plett says MCS cuts charging time from three hours to 30 minutes, which will let the company double-shift its electric trucks. It currently runs 6am to 5pm, six days a week, then charges overnight. BC Hydro is involved in the project to supply the electrical capacity the chargers require, and Plett plans to open the chargers to other fleets over time.
The company already operates eight Volvo VNR Electric Class-8 trucks on drayage routes from the Port of Vancouver. Plett says the Semi’s specs open up new routes: under 19,000 lbs versus about 23,000 lbs for the Volvos, and around 523 km of Standard Range versus 300–350 km.
Longer term, Plett wants to electrify the Vancouver–Calgary trucking corridor, with charger sites in Golden, B.C. and Calgary planned over the next three to five years. While Tesla wasn’t eligible for the latest round of CleanBC Go Electric rebates, Plett says the trucks’ lower upfront cost and cheaper electricity versus diesel make the business case work.
The timing lines up with Tesla’s planned September 24 inauguration of its high-volume Semi factory in Sparks, Nevada.
The Semi is central to Tesla’s dual-tier commercial charging strategy: the Long Range version targets up to 500 miles on a single charge, while 1.2 MW Megacharging can restore roughly 60 percent of range in about 30 minutes, according to Tesla’s own Semi page. Tesla’s official battery specs were detailed earlier this year.
Plett joins other fleets adding the Semi as production ramps at Tesla’s dedicated Semi factory in Nevada, which is targeting output of up to 50,000 units per year.
Over the coming years, Plett’s plan for a Vancouver–Calgary charging corridor via Golden and Calgary would make these the first Megawatt Charging System chargers in Canada, an early anchor for electrified freight in B.C.
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