Einride’s commercial EVs enter UK, will cover 750,000 miles of routes with new partner PepsiCo

Autonomous EV freight developer Einride continues to expand its global footprint of commercial vehicles, announcing plans to sustainably transport goods in the UK. Together with the Walkers brand under the PepsiCo umbrella, Einride’s electric vehicles are expected to reduce thousands of tons of CO2 emissions over the next three years.

Einride is a Swedish freight technology company founded in 2016 that develops electrified commercial vehicles and fully autonomous Class 8 trucks, in addition to the fleet software to manage them. Following expansion news into the US, Einride’s fully autonomous “Pod” EVs have been navigating roads stateside under the watch of Remote Pod Operators.

In June of 2022, Einride also received NHSTA approval to operate the autonomous Pod trucks on public US roads as part of a pilot program with GE appliances.

In addition to the US, the commercial EV company has expanded the capabilities of its autonomous and electric truck operations to other territories like Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, and, most recently, Germany.

Following a fresh round of financing awarded this past December, Einride is continuing to electrify freight mobility across new markets, which now includes the UK.

Einride to provide UK with end-to-end freight solution

The electric freight mobility specialist shared the details of its latest expansion in a press release today, hoping to help propel the UK to a net zero future. According to the UK’s Department of Transport, around 1.4 billion tons of goods are transported by road each year, and that freight transportation process is responsible for over 20% of domestic carbon emissions.

To combat this, Einride is implementing its entire ecosystem of electric and autonomous fleet vehicles in the UK, bolstered by its proprietary platform software, Einride Saga. As you can see in the grid map above, Einride’s initial rollout will establish a regional freight route between the major cities of London, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol – navigating the M1, M5, and M6 roadways. Einride founder and CEO Robert Falck spoke to the company’s latest expansion into the UK:

The UK has always been at the forefront of transport history. The efficient and innovative movement of goods has consistently been integral to the growth and prosperity of the UK, with the British pioneering both the railway system and canal networks. We’re honored to be here, teaming up with local partners to further establish the UK as a transport pioneer and ultimately help the country meet its net zero goals.

One of the local partners Falck refers to is Walkers – a sub-brand of PepsiCo. As Einride’s first commercial partner in the UK, PepsiCo will be the first to utilize the company’s electric commercial trucks to transport goods between the Walkers manufacturing sites in Leicester and Coventry.

Einride states that over the course of the new three-year partnership, its vehicles are expected to navigate over 750,000 miles of road previously inhabited by fossil-fuel trucks, replacing the equivalent of 1,600 tons of CO2 emissions with clean, sustainable freight.

Looking ahead, Einride intends to expand its network of partners in the UK and Ireland, scaling the grid of its all-electric trucks. Once it has reached critical mass volume in the region, Einride says it will begin introducing its autonomous heavy-duty trucks monitored by remote operators.