EVwire brief: R.R. Plett Trucking is preparing to install Canada’s first Tesla Megawatt Charging System chargers, with two 1.2-megawatt sites planned for Langley and Kamloops, British Columbia.
The company expects to receive 12 Tesla Semi trucks in June 2027 and says the new chargers will allow the trucks to move toward double-shift operations.
The projects mark a notable step in the expansion of Megacharging infrastructure for the Tesla Semi. R.R. Plett plans to eventually add more Tesla MCS chargers along the Vancouver-to-Calgary corridor, while opening its initial chargers to other fleets as demand grows.
R.R. Plett shared the news on LinkedIn, linking to the Electric Autonomy article:
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R.R. Plett is no stranger to electrification. The Langley-based carrier already runs eight Volvo VNR Electric Class 8 trucks on drayage routes out of the Port of Vancouver, in service since 2024, and chief operating officer Trevor Plett says the company put down deposits on the Tesla Semi back in 2017, the year Tesla first unveiled the truck.
This is thanks in no small part to the Semi’s specs, which allow the vehicle to function on longer routes compared to the Volvo VNR Electric trucks. Plett also highlighted the advantages of MCS chargers.
"It's weight and range that the Tesla can do that's better than the competition right now. The Tesla Semi is going to be under 19,000 pounds and have a range of around 500 kilometers (311 miles), where the Volvo product we're running now is about 23,000 pounds, with a range of about 300 to 350 kilometres (186 to 217 miles)."
“You can cut charging time from three hours down to 30 minutes with the MCS, which will help us double shift those trucks. Right now, we’re running 6am to 5pm, six days a week. But then we have to let those trucks charge in the evening, so we’re not able to double shift the current electric trucks.”
Source: Tesla
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Context:
Canada's first Tesla MCS sites land in the middle of a broader Megacharger buildout south of the border. Tesla has been pre-assembling MCS cabinets to speed up installs at hubs like its Saginaw, Texas site, while Forum Mobility and bp Pulse have each opened Tesla MCS-equipped truck depots of their own in California this year. Pilot J is going further still, partnering with Tesla to build out a network of 1.2-megawatt chargers at truck stops across the US.
The charger rollout is tracking Tesla Semi's own production ramp. Tesla moved Semi into high-volume production at Giga Nevada earlier this year, adding pilot programs as it works through its order backlog, of which R.R. Plett's 12 trucks are a small but notable Canadian slice.
Source: Electric Autonomy
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