EINRIDE- changing road freight for good

Zeljko Jeftic of Einride presented an overview of this innovative truck and freight company at TISA’s Committee Meeting in December.  The road freight industry accounts for 7 percent of global CO2 emissions, consuming over 5 million barrels of oil per year. Einride was started in Sweden in 2016, based on the conviction that the new era of electrification delivered opportunities to create a more sustainable version of freight transport, using Autonomous Electric Transport (AET), and an intelligent mobility platform.

Equipped with this strong intention of revolutionising the truck industry, the challenge for Einride is to convince and commit the larger truck manufacturers in the longer term to the use of self-driving trucks without drivers but in the medium term to co-ordinate and supply electric trucks to larger companies such as manufacturers IKEA, LIDL, AB BEV. ‘However, the take-up has been amazing; companies are keen to ensure that the way they deliver their products is sustainable. This has led to commitment all round from manufacturers and companies. In the longer-term they also show their willingness to sign-up to automation if we can make sure it works,’ said Zeljko Jeftic. With this perspective, Einride is working with the EU on a European Level 4 project on the automation of freight from Rotterdam to Oslo. ‘We work closely with local companies in the regions we work with to install the infrastructure and use locally sourced drivers. Eventually these drivers will be trained to control the automated trucks we build and use.’

Future collaboration and TISA’s role in the resulting automated eco-system to provide an effective way of information exchange was discussed at the meeting.