US food giant Mars is looking to put 300 “heavy-duty” electric trucks into operation in Europe by 2030, in what it describes as the largest ever electrification of freight trucks in Europe.
This type of transportation, which runs on routes to and from various company sites, is electrified, and for a company the size of Mars, which owns 50 global brands, converting its shipments to electric vehicles could have a huge impact on emissions.
The deal is a collaboration with Sweden’s Einride, and was launched in Germany last week, with lines to be launched in the UK and Netherlands this year. “This sets a precedent for other players in the freight industry and shows the huge potential of electrification at scale,” said Robert Falk, Einride’s CEO and founder.
Technically, the company will begin transporting pet food from its pet feed factory in Verden, Germany, to its logistics center in Minden, about 91 kilometers (about 56.5 miles) one way. Both locations come equipped with charging points, so the truck can easily make the full round trip with the option to charge on either side if needed.
To get started, Einride has provided Mars with two Mercedes-Benz eActros 300s and two charging stations with four charging points powered by Einride’s Saga system. The electric truck version has three 105 kWh battery packs each, for a total of 315 kWh, which should provide enough range to cover around 300 km/186 miles with an average load. The next step is a route from the chocolate factory in Viersen to other locations, as well as routes in the UK and the Netherlands.
For its part, Mars is investing $1 billion over the next three years to help achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050, with a goal of halving carbon across the entire value chain by 2030. It’s also investing around “a six-figure sum in installation,” Electrive reports.
The first two eActros 300s will soon be joined by more vehicles, although Mars has not specified whether these will be from Daimler Trucks, as Einride sources its vehicles from several manufacturers. These fully electric operations will be complemented by an independent pilot project, to be implemented in 2025.
Mars says that by switching to 300 electric trucks, it will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tons per year, which is equivalent to a 10% annual reduction in Mars Logistics Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Electrek’s opinion
This type of truck is well-suited for the transition to electric. First, fleet trucks typically have a set route, making distance planning easier, and trucks can return to the depot in the evening for overnight charging using their own infrastructure.
The shift from focusing solely on electrifying pickup trucks for last-mile delivery is a move to this type of medium-duty transport, with a new model from Mack Trucks recently released, while other players such as Japan’s Hino and Isuzu are working on new models.
Of course, the upfront costs of switching to electric trucks are steep, but a company like Mars is paying for it. And soon, regulations imposed by the European Union (and California at least) will leave companies no choice but to switch. And that could clean up billions of tons of CO2 emissions each year.
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