Einride, a freight technology company based in Sweden, announced on Wednesday that it will launch a new charging network in the United States, beginning with locations near the Port of Los Angeles.
The first Einride Station, which will include an electric truck charging station, a maintenance center, and a driver lounge area, will be located near the Port of Los Angeles to support Einride customer A.P. Mller – Maersk (OCTUS: AMKBY). It is set to open in 2023 and will eventually be accessible to non-Einride customers. An Einride Station can accommodate up to 200 vehicles.
In Sweden, Einride Stations are already operational.
In addition, the company announced a new electric truck model and that its intelligent freight mobility platform, Saga, is now available to all users, regardless of whether they are Einride customers.
“By moving away from thinking of transportation as a siloed sector of A to B, we can unlock a truly sustainable, resilient future.” “Reimagining shipping requires considering the entire ecosystem, which has been the idea of Einride since day one,” said Robert Falck, founder and CEO of Einride, during a live-streamed news event. “Today, we were able to share our growth and ongoing innovation and clearly demonstrate how other shippers can take these same insights and apply our ecosystem to their supply chains — right now.”
Einride signed a contract with Maersk in March. Maersk will deploy 300 Einride Class 8 electric trucks (E-trucks) over a five-year period, with the first delivery scheduled for 2023. The vehicles will be used by Maersk in its North American warehousing, distribution, and transportation operations. The companies estimate that the vehicles will transport more than one million shipments over the course of the contract.
Einride’s E-truck will help Maersk achieve its goal of zero emissions and 100% green solutions for its customers by 2040. It plans to charge its entire fleet with 100% renewable energy in the future.
Einride’s capacity-as-a-service and software-as-a-service offerings are included in the agreement. The E-trucks will run on Einride’s data-driven Saga operating system, which also includes charging stations and connectivity services. To support the deployment, 150 charging stations are expected to be installed.
The E-truck is available in two configurations: a 4-by-2 tractor-trailer version capable of hauling up to 33 pallets and 24 tons and a rigid 4-by-2 configuration capable of hauling up to 18 pallets and either 9 or 16 tons depending on the application.
Maersk has been expanding its overall transportation offerings, moving away from serving only maritime customers and toward the creation of an end-to-end transportation network. The company acquired several entities in 2021, including a $545 million acquisition of logistics provider Performance Team and its 58 US facilities in April 2021, a $1.8 billion purchase of Pilot Freight, and technology provider Visible SCM.
GE Appliances is also testing Einride electric trucks, with 12 of them set to go into service in Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
The Rigid Large Gen 2
Einride also unveiled the Gen 2 Rigid Large, its next-generation remote truck. The straight truck has a larger cargo hold, updated optics and sensors, and a higher top speed with night vision capabilities. The first Generation 2 trucks will hit the road in 2023.
Along with the new truck, Einride’s Remote Interface, which controls the vehicles, has been updated. The new interface includes more adjustable settings and monitor setup for optimal remote operator comfort, as well as a new flat pack construction for easier manufacturing, scalability, and on-site setup.
Updates on the Saga
Using data from across the user’s ecosystem, Einride Saga enables users to generate and view operational key performance indicators, register and track progress toward emission targets, and obtain actionable operational insights for all shipping touchpoints.
“As an industry leader in electric fleet operations, we have the distinct advantage of leveraging our experience to make electric solutions more accessible,” said Linnéa Kornehed Falck, Einride’s CMO, deputy CEO, and founder. “Right now, making the transition to electric is critical and must be made simple and efficient, which Einride Saga provides today as it enables our larger grid ecosystem to be more resilient.”
