PostNord with Einride cooperation in Norway

The Swedish manufacturer of electric and autonomous trucks will work with PostNord in Norway to reduce 2,100 tonnes of CO ₂ emissions. It is the first step in a major investment in Norway for Einride.

The Swedish technology company that supplies digital, electric and autonomous freight is announcing a large-scale investment in Norway on Wednesday. The company recently launched in the UK, and is investing heavily in both the US and a number of European countries. The first electric trucks are already in place in Norway, and more rounds are coming.

- Norway has done pioneering work in electrifying passenger cars. Now it is a matter of course that the country also takes a leading role in the electrification of heavy transport, says Robert Falck, founder and CEO of Einride.

Provides infrastructure

Over the next few months, more trucks will be delivered on the assembly line, together with technological solutions that make it easier to scale up.

Making autonomous transport a reality

- With our electric car fleet and the necessary infrastructure to provide sufficient and reliable charging access for freight transport throughout Scandinavia, it is a great pleasure for us to be able to contribute to Norway achieving its ambitious goals and maintaining its leading position in the electrification of transport, says Falck.

Einride is already working with PostNord to electrify the company's fleet in Sweden. Now it's Norway's turn.

The collaboration that is now being launched will mean the digitization and electrification of more than 1,500 kilometers that are currently driven with fossil fuel. Altogether, it is expected that this will result in a reduction of up to 95 per cent of CO ₂ emissions compared to before, Einride states. This corresponds to a reduction in CO ₂ emissions of 2,100 tonnes over three years.

- For PostNord, the collaboration means that we will get started with green corridors between some of our largest terminals. The electric container trucks will mean that we can have large parts of the goods delivered on climate-smart vehicles, which will have a major environmental impact. This means that PostNord is closer to the goal of being fossil-free by 2030, says May-Kristin Willoch, assistant director for sustainability at PostNord Norway.

- This is a pilot project where we start with six electric container cars, then there is an option for more cars if we wish. The purpose is to test green corridors that become completely fossil-free, Willoch adds to MT.

The cars will initially cover the routes between PostNord's terminals in Greater Oslo, from the main facility at Alfaset and to and from Langhus and Hanekleiva near Drammen.

- We move large quantities of goods between these terminals, and we now have the opportunity to make that transport green, says Willoch.

The facility at Hanekleiva is brand new and has been established with rapid chargers, and in addition PostNord will have some rapid charger capacity at Alfaset and Langhus.

- Why have you chosen to enter into cooperation with a player such as Einride, and not with a more established truck supplier?

- We are a large Nordic group, and Einride already has a project with PostNord in Sweden. They could offer a total concept with chargers and cars which is very exciting. They are also very forward-looking and in the long term it is also exciting to look at the possibilities with autonomous vehicles, says Willoch.

Own digital platform

IN THE VISION: Einride is perhaps best known for its projects with driverless trucks, but that is not relevant for Norway at this time.

Einride offers its own developed digital platform Saga to its customers. The system plans, optimizes and monitors the transport. The platform will simplify the handling of long-distance freight, remove inefficiencies in the industry and prevent delays caused by battery charging or driver changes.

Carl Ceder, Vice President Region Nordics at Einride, tells MT that Einride is working on several projects in the Norwegian market, but that the PostNord collaboration is the first they are going live with.

- We take overall responsibility for these transports, by delivering six trucks that will run almost 24 hours a day, five days a week, and somewhat less on Saturdays. We are entering with our digital platform, with driver apps, charge planning and so on. PostNord is responsible for the charging infrastructure even in this case, but it is connected to our Saga platform. Then we collaborate with a Norwegian transport company that supplies the drivers - and in this case they are connected to us and not directly to PostNord, says Ceder.

The first eActros

The cars that have been delivered are the first Mercedes eActros to hit the road in Norway. Einride has worked closely with Daimler to ensure that the vehicles are compatible with their systems. Initially, there are six container trucks in place, but the plan is to scale up relatively quickly.

- This is the first wave of three waves planned with PostNord. This is the lowest hanging fruit, with which we begin. So the plan is that when this works we can scale up. We will vote in the autumn to discuss the next step. Then we have a fairly tight plan with specific milestones, says Ceder.

To facilitate further scaling up and more customers, Einride is also working to establish charging stations. They will primarily be linked to the company's future customers, but Ceder says that it will also be appropriate to make them publicly available.

- We are working towards having an optimized system, so that it will be possible to plan for our customers, but we are also betting on being able to offer public charging, says Ceder.

He says that Einride is now working on developing infrastructure on the west coast of Sweden, and northwards along the E6.

- Then the idea is to continue building towards Oslo from there, but the timeline is a bit uncertain for now, says Ceder.

Einride's expansion in Norway will expand the Nordic Link network, which was first established in 2022, and connect strategic locations in the Oslo region. The network will then be extended further south, to connect Norway, Sweden and eventually Denmark along the E6. This will facilitate electric, digital and autonomous freight transport across Scandinavia. The aim is to establish a connection between Nordic Link and the European mainland before 2025.

Einride will also establish a separate charging infrastructure, Einride Stations, for the truck fleet along the network in Norway. The charging infrastructure is to be developed along strategic locations throughout Norway in order to be able to scale up the car fleets in an efficient manner.

Autonomy on the menu

Although Einride is currently focusing on electric trucks with drivers in Norway, the future possibilities are many. The company is a leader in the development of autonomous trucks. Einride became the first company in the world to deploy an autonomous electric vehicle on a public road in 2019. Now Einride is the lead partner in the MODI project, an EU initiative worth 28 million euros, which aims to support the deployment of electric and autonomous heavy transport by addressing standardization, regulations and infrastructure.

In 2025, Einride's electric and autonomous vehicles will be demonstrated for the first time when they cross the border on the E6 between Norway and Sweden. In Norway, the first autonomous truck will drive from Svinesund to Moss.