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"Natural gas is ready right now, it’s available, and it should be part of that overall equation when any fleet operator or transit company looks to deliver goods," says Dan Gage (right), president of Natural Gas Vehicles for America, talking with TT's Joe Howard. More at bit.ly/TT-LOW1117. (Joseph Terry/Transport Topics)

Customers are starting to place orders for Tesla Inc.’s new all-electric Semi truck, with retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. preordering for both its U.S. and Canadian units.

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — Tesla Inc. has unveiled its long anticipated, all-electric Class 8 tractor, marking the electric car maker’s entry into the commercial truck industry and reinventing the heavy-duty truck as we know it.

UPS Inc. is planning to convert its package delivery trucks from diesel to electric using new technology in New York City.

Ryder System Inc. announced it has started to take delivery of 125 medium-duty all-electric panel vans for rent or lease, calling the vehicles the first of their kind in North America.

Daimler AG is jumping the gun on Tesla Inc. by showing off a battery-powered heavy-duty truck weeks before the California electric-car maker’s own planned unveiling, in a sign of the growing rivalry between the companies.

XL Hybrids Inc. won $22 million in venture capital funding led by units of Exelon Corp. and Ikea Group to accelerate sales of its hybrid-electric delivery trucks.

Volkswagen AG is flanking its push into electric cars with plans to roll out battery-powered commercial vehicles targeted at urban areas as growing public concerns about air quality boost demand.

Tesla Inc. pushed back the reveal of its semi-truck by three weeks as CEO Elon Musk focuses on boosting production of the cheaper sedan that the electric-car maker is counting on to dramatically increase sales.

The internal combustion engine’s days may be numbered in California, where officials are mulling whether a ban on sales of polluting autos is needed to achieve long-term targets for cleaner air.