Why you can’t go electric without going digital

While Einride deploys a wide range of technologies – including electric trucks, autonomous vehicles and charging infrastructure – there is one common denominator that brings everything together and enables businesses to make the switch to intelligent electric transportation. That unifier is Einride’s digital freight platform. 

At Mesh 2023 in New York City, Einride’s Chief Product Officer Ellen Kugelberg and Product Manager Sabina Söderstjerna took the stage to explain why quality data and advanced AI are the keys to unlocking efficient, reliable and cost-effective electric freight.  

When it comes to electric freight, cost-efficiency increases with scale – but so does the complexity. Einride’s Chief Product Officer Ellen Kugelberg explains this on stage at Einride Mesh 2023, in New York City. But she also threw the audience a lifeline: “Making the complex simple is Einride’s secret sauce.” 

Ellen goes on to explain why a growing number of businesses – including some of the world’s largest shippers – are choosing to make the switch with Einride: “We give you scalable, uncomplicated, low-emissions and hassle-free shipping ready to be deployed.”

In other words, Einride handles all the infrastructure needed to deploy electric freight operations in an efficient and cost-effective way – meaning shippers can electrify their operations without costly overhead investments and without needing to manage the complexity of electrification themselves. But converting this complexity into simplicity is no easy feat – which is why Einride is leading the way by gathering specialist knowledge across all facets of the electric freight ecosystem. 

“We have expertise in vehicles, batteries, chargers, energy, AI, telematics, UX, logistics, and a lot more; and we connect the data from all these domains. We build out and develop all the different pieces to create the digital infrastructure that will ultimately give us – as well as the entire ecosystem – more efficient transportation,” says Ellen.

“There is no company in the market today that knows more about heavy-duty electrification than Einride.”

The impact is already evident today. Businesses that ship with Einride are reducing freight emissions by up to 95% and benefiting from reliable and cost-effective operations. This demonstrates some of the game-changing potential of digitalization when it comes to electric freight. And it’s the reason why you can’t go electric without going digital.

Watch the session from Einride Mesh, including a live demo of Einride's digital freight platform (formerly "Einride Saga").

Leveraging data and AI for freight intelligence

Einride's digital freight platform brings together all of Einride’s knowledge, data and algorithms so that electric and autonomous electric transportation can be deployed at scale with remarkable efficiency. 

This digital architecture coordinates all facets of the electric transportation ecosystem – it's the brain behind all of the technology, solutions and expertise that Einride deploys. In addition to helping businesses map their electrification journey, it unlocks a range of operational efficiencies with algorithmic precision and gives shippers a clear picture of the volume of emissions they’ve curbed by going electric. 

The cloud-based software can be deployed for advanced transportation management, or it can be integrated seamlessly with a shipper’s existing transportation management system (TMS). 

How does the software unlock efficiency?

Einride's digital freight platform unlocks efficient and optimized electric freight thanks to unique and advanced algorithms and models built around centralized data. Einride has been able to gather and aggregate this intelligence by virtue of operating some of the largest electric fleets in the world. 

As Ellen explains, “It includes having deep insights of the vehicles, the chargers, driver behaviors, and a lot of other factors that directly affect the performance, like the topography of the route, the climate, the weight of the goods, and so much more.”

“We turn this expertise and data into meaningful and actionable insights – both on a strategic level as well as on an operational level,” she says. “After all, data can be meaningless if you don’t know what to do with it.”

Below are just a few examples of how Einride's digital freight platform unlocks efficiency.

• Fill rates:

Trucks running empty continue to stagnate the road freight industry. But, through digitalization, it could be possible to have one truck running full rather than two trucks running at half capacity.

• Driver wait times:

Having the driver wait for a truck to charge is costly and inefficient. By centralizing the data across larger fleets, the software helps minimize driver wait times.

• Smart charging:

Sub-optimal charging can decrease the battery lifetime. This should be avoided, given the battery makes up 30-50% of the cost of a new electric truck. Einride's digital freight platform can coordinate charging schedules to prolong battery life.

Case example: How data and AI can increase the utilization of assets

At Mesh, Einride Product Manager Sabina Söderstjerna demonstrated some of Einride software capabilities on stage. Referring to an example from AB InBev, one of the world’s largest brewery companies, she showed how a scheduling algorithm has unlocked efficiencies for this Einride client by treating the vehicle, drivers and chargers as separate planning entities. In other words, Einride’s digital freight platform can plan shipping operations assuming that drivers may switch between vehicles.

“Deep knowledge of each component’s performance paves the way for truly customized insights.”

On one particular route, AB InBev has a demand of 36 fully loaded runs going from a distribution center to one of its breweries each day. It has traditionally been covered by 9 driver shifts across 9 diesel trucks.

Sabina explains that in mapping their transition, Einride suggested an optimized operational setup involving 9 driver shifts once again, but only 6 electric vehicles. This would be supported by 3 chargers at the distribution center. 

“If we run this scenario without taking into account the vehicle and driver as separate planning entities, we end up with a few problems. We don’t even cover the full demand. When you factor in the charging time, we can only do 20 runs,” Sabina tells the audience. “But once we start running our algorithm, every aspect is improved. 

“The vehicle utilization rate goes from 68% to 84%. The charger utilization is increased by 25%. And then there’s the impact on the driver schedules. Before our algorithm, they had a total waiting time of 6 hours and 30 minutes. With our intelligent planning – and with drivers switching between vehicles throughout the day – we see a drop of 65% in drivers’ waiting time to only 2 hours and 15 minutes.”

Sabina says this algorithm has been powered by what Einride has learned from operating digitally empowered electric fleets: “Deep knowledge of each component’s performance paves the way for truly customized insights. For instance, we are able to predict every single vehicle’s energy consumption based on the operational experience instead of the estimated numbers from the manufacturers,” she says. 

“That means our operations are based on highly reliable information, which allows us to plan with precision and offer you exactly the amount of vehicle and charger capacity that you need to move your demand.”

Intelligent insights to help you take action

Sabina explains that with Einride's digital freight platform, shippers have easy access to high-quality data: “Our goal is to give you access to insights and help you take action. Our software is developed to serve your needs and provide you with clear guidance on what to optimize next for the greatest environmental impact and strongest business case.” 

“Einride is the transformational partner that helps you go electric. Once you are ready to embark on the transition to electric, we will be there to support you at every step along the way, leveraging the latest technologies.” 

Ellen Kugelberg echoes this: “With Einride, you transition easily and access a clear strategic plan going forward. And it’s not a visionary thing or a future solution. This is what we offer shippers today.”

The list of businesses making the switch with Einride is fast expanding, with operations now live across 8 countries. 

“If you’re a shipper thinking of adding electric trucks to your operations today, rest assured that when you join Einride, you’re not jumping on an innovation wagon into the unknown. We have been working with shippers, transforming their operations, for more than 3 years now,” says Ellen.

“There is no company in the market today that knows more about heavy-duty electrification than Einride.”

Learn more about how why you can't go electric without going digital in our Einride Webinar →

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Find out how much you can save – in costs and CO2e emissions – by making the switch to intelligent electric freight with Einride. Simply input some details about your shipping operations to get your savings estimate.

You can also learn more about the process of going electric with Einride in our 6 steps to intelligent electric freight or by watching one of our Einride Webinars.