Mobile TV Group Furthers Green Initiative With Commitment to Tesla Electric Semis

Mobile TV Group Furthers Green Initiative With Commitment to Tesla Electric Semis The new truck will be able to travel 500 miles on a charge, go 0-60 in 20 seconds By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor

Tuesday, January 30, 2018 - 3:00 pm

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As part of its ongoing eco-friendly initiative, Mobile TV Group has pre-ordered two Tesla electric tractor-trailers for its fleet of mobile units. After unveiling the new electric semis in November, Tesla will begin production in 2019, with the first units shipping in 2020. MTVG joins a growing number of organizations to put down a $5,000 deposit to take shipment of trucks in 2020.

It was a pretty easy decision, explains Nick Garvin, director, business development, MTVG. We think that it makes sense as part of our own green initiative, and our clients are always interested in being greener. We were among the among the first [companies] to commit and to spend real money to hold our place in line [for delivery]. We feel like this is a very important step in the right direction for our future and the future of our clients.

The Tesla semi is capable of traveling 500 miles on an electric charge and can go zero to 60 in 20 seconds, even with a full 80,000-lb. load. Garvin says that, although the 500-mile limitation may hinder other, nationally focused production-truck providers, it does not a present a significant issue for MTVG's primarily regional business serving RSNs. Although MTVG has yet to decide where the trucks will be located, Southern California is a logical destination.

Since we have so many regional units, 500 miles is enough for our trucks in many places, he says. It doesn't fit our entire fleet right off the bat, but 500 miles gets us from L.A. to Vegas or L.A. to Arizona or San Diego. That's the area we're looking first.

The semi will also feature Tesla's Autopilot system, capable of maintaining a set speed in traffic and keeping the truck in its lane. In addition, the manufacturer plans a worldwide network of solar-powered mega charging stations capable of fueling semis for 400 miles of range in just 30 minutes.

In addition to the obvious fuel savings vs. diesel-powered units, according to Tesla, the electric tractors will also offer significantly reduced maintenance costs.

A fundamental advantage of the Tesla is, there are significantly less parts compared to a combustion engine, which just means less things can go wrong, says Garvin. It just means less points of failure, so it's less likely for something to break down, which is obviously one of our biggest nightmares.

The commitment to Tesla semis builds on MTVG's continued effort to use eco-friendly materials - such as ultra-compressed recycled paper - for walls, framing, and table-top finishes.

As part of our own initiative and our clients', we have been working on how to become more eco-friendly for quite a while, says Garvin. This just continues that initiative. As we replace new units with the Tesla semis, our tractors will become emissions-free, and we're extremely excited about that.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2018/01/30/mobile-tv-group-furthers-green-...
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