Einride enters Benelux as logistics partner to AB InBev
The Swedish tech and logistics company Einride has launched in Benelux with the brewer AB InBev. Einride will manage a fleet of heavy-duty electric trucks delivering beer across the region and expects the partnership to reduce CO2 emissions by 500 tonnes annually.
The first phase in early 2023 will see Einride roll out six electric trucks connected to the company’s freight mobility platform Saga. The deal also includes charging infrastructure and data. InBev, which delivers brands like Budweiser, Hoeggarden or Corona, will deploy the new trucks in the Leuven and Brussels areas.
Einride and InBev have yet to disclose which electric trucks they will use. Einride relies on various manufacturers to offer fleet vehicles. For example, they ordered 120 eActros from Mercedes-Benz in 2021 or 200 e-trucks from BYD this February, followed by Scania e-trucks in June.
At the same time, the company aims to advance autonomous electric transport – at least eventually – and has already launched a lighter commercial EV called Pod. The Pod can drive uncrewed and has scored special permits in the US and Europe, yet it remains a futuristic concept with limited use.
So instead, Einride currently positions itself as a mobility service provider which relies on its software platform Saga, designed to ensure that electric transport is “efficient and optimised”. Vehicle partner Scania, for example, says it will be able to use the raw data collected from the Saga software to drive joint product development.
InBev, too, hopes that Einride will help them on their path to decarbonisation. “We only invest in non-diesel transport and are going for zero in our emissions,” said Philippe Seminck, Logistics Director Benelux and France, AB InBev. “As we are starting the broad deployment of electric vehicles for city deliveries next year, the partnership with Einride for electric heavy-duty transportation on the middle mile is the next step in our green logistics strategy.”
In 2008, InBev combined with US-based Anheuser-Busch to form Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company aims to achieve net zero across its supply chain by 2040.
Einride is also active in Europe and the US and recently announced launches in Germany and Norway with clients such as Electrolux and GE Appliances. Einride claims partners have seen an up to 90% decrease in CO2 emissions while remaining cost competitive. The partnership with AB InBev in Belgium is Einride’s first move into the region, but the company expects to add more customers in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
0 Comments