Bee’ah, the region’s fastest growing environmental management company, has purchased the first and largest fleet of Tesla Semi trucks in the Middle East. The announcement was made in-line with Bee’ah’s participation at the “World Future Energy Summit”, which is taking place in Abu Dhabi from 15 to 18 January 2018.
The organization placed an order for 50 of the automotive brand’s revolutionary all-electric vehicles immediately after their launch on November 16, to underline Bee’ah’s steadfast commitment to sustainability across its entire operations. As the company also eyes ambitious regional expansion, a larger transport fleet will ensure the new operational demands can be met.
The incoming Tesla Semi trucks, which enter production in 2019, will primarily be used for waste collection and transportation, including transportation of materials for recovery. They will also add to Bee’ah’s growing fleet of vehicles, which total over 1,000 today, and continue upgrading the organization’s transport options in making the fleet as eco-friendly as possible.
Overall, Bee’ah’s modernized fleet will continue to make a significant contribution to reducing the company’s carbon footprint, and that is by using the new Tesla Semi trucks alongside the existing electric vehicles, the vehicles that run on compressed natural gas and the ones that run on bio diesel, in addition to the boats that use solar energy while cleaning lakes and water bodies.
HE Salim Al Owais, Chairman of Beeah.
Bee’ah has also partnered with some U.S. based companies specialized in transforming diesel-powered vehicles into electric ones. This purchase from Tesla is considered to be the first phase of the company’s transition to a full eco-friendly fleet as Bee’ah is working on other future partnerships that will eventually allow the company to get rid of all vehicles that run on diesel, contributing to better air quality.
Launched in California by CEO Elon Musk, the new Tesla Semi truck will provide Bee’ah’s logistics function with vehicles capable of travelling 805 kilometers on a single charge. Running on battery power, the trucks are guaranteed for 1.6 million kilometers of usable life, while carrying 36,287 kilograms of cargo.
The new fleet will enable Bee’ah to further minimize its environmental impact by reducing the number of diesel-powered vehicles on the road, thereby reducing the consumption of fossil fuels – of which the region is moving away from, decreasing vehicle emissions, and improving air quality.
Among its many priorities, improving air quality for the UAE community is a particular focus of Bee’ah. In late 2015, the company announced seven new air-monitoring stations, which collect and analyze data on local air pollution to help partners in government and education form new strategies for reducing harmful emissions across industries.
“We are extremely pleased to turn towards Tesla for a solution that enhances our leadership of sustainable practices in the region. As a company that strives to be the best in our field, we only work with partners that we consider to be the best in theirs,” said His Excellency Salim Al Owais, Chairman of Bee’ah. “Through this latest investment, we hope to demonstrate to others the value and importance of seeking out better, more viable ways of achieving our business aims, all for the greater good of our communities,” added Al Owais.
“As a torchbearer for environmental responsibility, Bee’ah’s move to bring the first and largest fleet of Tesla Semi trucks to the region is a significant milestone in our operational evolution.” Commented Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO of Bee’ah. “Sustainability is at the very core of what we do, and the pursuit of this feeds into every level of our organization. That is why we have made this investment in our transportation fleet, which occurs with a view towards a larger goal – achieving the objectives of the National Agenda for UAE Vision 2021.”
Bee’ah’s latest involvement with automaker, energy storage, and solar panel company Tesla isn’t its first. Earlier this year, the organization made a major investment with Tesla to fit the company’s world-leading Powerpack battery technology at Bee’ah’s spectacular, state-of-the-art net zero energy headquarter complex, which is currently under construction. The Tesla batteries will store solar energy to power the building, and any excess electricity generated will be fed directly into Sharjah’s main power supply grid, thereby ensuring maximum efficiency.
The use of Tesla Powerpack technology marked a significant step towards Bee’ah’s vision of a future where buildings are powered solely by renewable energy – starting with its own headquarters. Designed by revered British-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, the new headquarters is currently under construction in Sharjah, UAE, and will become a platinum LEED certified building upon completion.
“Bee’ah’s investment in Tesla’s Semi trucks and its Powerpack battery technology is a further example of our quest to take a holistic approach to environmental management, stretching far beyond waste management. Earlier this year, we announced the launch of a new company, EvoTeq, and signed two new business agreements as part of an investment in technology aimed at improving the lives of people living in the UAE,” added His Excellency Salim Al Owais, Chairman of Bee’ah.
Beyond their obvious environmental benefits, the new Tesla trucks also signify another step forward in Bee’ah’s march towards innovative tech-based solutions to the region’s most pressing challenges. Autonomous technology will enable multiple Tesla Semi trucks to travel in convoy unaided by human intervention, bringing safer transportation to the UAE’s roads. To the same end, on-board sensors will detect instability during travel, and automatically make adjustments to vehicle torque and braking to prevent dangerous ‘jackknifing’.
