U. S. food giant Mars plans to put 300 “heavy” electric trucks into service in Europe by 2030, as part of what it calls the biggest electrification of trucking in Europe.
This type of road transport, which offers circular holiday connections to other corporate locations, is ripe for electrification, and a company the size of Mars, which owns 50 global brands, transforming its cargo into electric vehicles could have a big effect. on emissions. The deal is a collaboration with Swedish company Einride and was launched in Germany last week, heading to the UK and Netherlands this year. “This sets a precedent for others in the freight industry to follow, demonstrating the great prospects for large-scale electrification,” said Robert Falck, CEO and founder of Einride. Technically, the company will begin transporting puppy food from its Pet Nutrition factory in Verden, Germany, to its fulfillment center in Mindin, approximately 91 kilometers (approximately 56. 5 miles) one way. Both locations have loading issues, so a truck can easily complete the entire circular route with the ability to load on both sides if necessary. To start, Einride has provided Mars with two Mercedes-Benz eActros 3 hundred and two charging stations with 4 charging terminals operated via Einride’s Saga operating system. The electric truck edition has 3 batteries of 105 kWh each, adding up to a total of 315 kWh, which deserve to offer enough diversity to travel a circumference of 300 kilometers/186 miles at an average pace. Next up is an address from their Viersen chocolate factory to other locations, as well as addresses in the UK and the Netherlands.
For its part, Mars is investing $1 billion over the next three years to help reach its zero-emissions target by 2050, with the target to cut carbon in half by 2030 across its full value chain. It, too, is investing about “a mid-six-figure euro amount in the installation,” Electrive reports.
The first two eActros 300s will soon be joined by other cars; Mars has not specified whether they will be Daimler Trucks, as Einride has cars from several manufacturers. These all-electric operations will be complemented by a stand-alone pilot project, implemented in 2025.
By switching to the 300 electric trucks, Mars says it will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year, corresponding to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Mars Logistik in Europe of around 10% per year.
This type of road transport is in a position to make the electric transition. On the one hand, the trucks in the fleet regularly have a fixed route, making mileage planning easier and the trucks can return to the depot at night. to overnight charge your own infrastructure. The evolution of the electrification of small trucks for last-mile deliveries is now focused on this type of medium-duty transport, with a new style from Mack Trucks recently launched, with other players such as Japan’s Hino and Isuzu coming up with new designs. Of course, an electric truck conversion company’s upfront prices are hard to sell, but a company like Mars is investing in it. Soon, regulations in the EU (and at least in California) will leave companies with no decision yet to make the switch. And it could potentially eliminate billions of tons of CO2 emissions per year.
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Jennifer is an editor at France-based Electrek, previously working at Wired, Fast Company, and Agence France-Presse. Send them comments, suggestions, or recommendations via X (@JMossalgue) or jennifer@9to5mac. com.