Einride and Mars partner for largest electrification of European road freight in FMCG industry

• Fully electric operations including a fleet of 300 electric heavy-duty vehicles will expand across Germany, the UK and Netherlands by 2030, with an autonomous pilot in 2025 
• Savings of an estimated 20,000 metric tons of CO₂e each year by 2030 will account for roughly a 10% reduction in Mars Europe’s road transport GHG emissions annually

January 24, 2024 - Einride, a freight mobility company that provides digital, electric and autonomous technology, announced today a partnership with Mars to deploy a fleet of digitally optimized electric heavy-duty trucks across Mars’ network by 2030. It is estimated that the European operations will save 20,000 metric tons of CO₂e each year by 2030, accounting for roughly a 10% reduction in Mars Europe’s road transport GHG emissions.

“This sets a precedent for other players in the freight industry to follow, showcasing the mass potential of electrification at scale,” said Robert Falck, CEO and Founder at Einride. “We are honored to partner with Mars as their transformational partner as they look to meet their ambitious sustainability goals in a cost effective way and set a new standard for creating a more resilient future.”

The first delivery happened last week, with Einride’s freight capacity offering deployed with two electric trucks and charging points powered by Einride’s operating system Saga, between the Mars Petcare factory in Verden, Germany, and its distribution center in Minden, Germany. On this first route, the two electric heavy-duty trucks will save up to 193,000 road miles (312,000 km) per year on the return route from Verden to Minden. To support the transition to electric, high power charging points have been installed at the German Petcare sites. 

Following Germany’s lead, the global strategic partnership will begin expanding across Europe first with routes in the UK and the Netherlands expected to follow later in 2024. These fully-electric operations will be complemented with an autonomous pilot, implemented in 2025. 

“Partnering with Einride to deploy 300 electric heavy-duty trucks across Europe is a great example of how we collaborate and leverage our scale to drive action and real change today - providing long-term value and impact while setting the stage for a brighter and more sustainable tomorrow,” said Barry Parkin, Chief Procurement and Sustainability Officer at Mars, Incorporated. “This partnership is our latest investment to achieve net zero by 2050, implementing the actions outlined in the Mars Net Zero Roadmap with a focus on improving and optimizing logistics, redesigning networks, transforming the type of transport we rely on, and embracing the electrification of our truck fleets. Together with our partners, we're driving change and showcasing a commitment to sustainability at scale.”

Einride enables shippers to make the switch to sustainable road freight through digital, electric and autonomous technologies. Its freight capacity-as-a-service offering consists of deploying connected electric vehicles from leading OEMs, autonomous vehicles and Einride Smartchargers, all powered by the operating system, Einride Saga. Through data-driven insights and real-time updates, Saga allows shippers to optimize routes, reduce energy consumption, maximize battery life, accurately track emission reductions and minimize transportation costs.

Operating electric fleets since 2020, Einride has established itself as an industry leader in enabling the switch to electric across the U.S. and Europe. Einride clients, including Carlsberg, AB InBev, Maersk, Lidl and GE Appliances, have seen an up to 95% decrease in CO₂e emissions while remaining cost competitive.

About Einride

Einride designs, develops and deploys technologies for freight mobility. By building grids powered by a first-of-its-kind ecosystem — the intelligent platform Einride Saga, electric and autonomous fleets, charging infrastructure and connectivity networks — a resilient, cost-effective shipping future is unlocked. Founded in 2016, Einride became the first company in the world to deploy an autonomous, electric vehicle on a public road in 2019 and became the first company to receive approval to operate the vehicle on a US public road in 2022. For more information, please visit einride.tech.

Einride’s offering includes an ecosystem of products coming together to unlock efficiency. These products include Einride Saga, the Einride autonomous vehicle (Gen 2), the Einride connected electric truck and Einride Charging (including chargers and Einride Smartcharger Stations).

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a global, family-owned business, Mars is transforming, innovating, and evolving to make a positive impact on the world. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of quality snacking, food, and pet care products and services, we employ 140,000+ dedicated Associates. With more than $47 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world’s best-loved brands including Ben’s Original™, CESAR®, Cocoavia®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, KIND®, M&M’s®, SNICKERS®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, and WHISKAS®. We are creating A Better World for Pets through our global network of pet hospitals and diagnostic services – including AniCura, BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, Linnaeus and VCA™ – using cutting edge technology to develop breakthrough programs in genetic health screening and DNA testing

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.