Self-driving truck company Einride expands into Norway By Reuters

By Johannes Birkebeck

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Swedish electric, self-driving truck maker Inrid said on Wednesday it expects to cut Norway’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2,100 tonnes over the next three years with a partnership with Scandinavia’s leading postal service PostNord.

Norway has the world’s largest number of electric cars per head of population, and aims to have all heavy-duty vehicles zero-emissions by 2040, which could cut carbon dioxide emissions by 4.4 million tons or roughly 9% of the country’s annual emissions.

“Given Norway’s pioneering work in the electrification of passenger cars, it only makes sense that they would play a leading role in the electrification of heavy freight as well,” said Robert Falk, CEO of Einride.

With Einride electric trucks, PostNord will reduce fossil fuel deliveries in Norway by more than 1,500 km (932 miles) per day.

Many goods can be transported in zero-emission vehicles, resulting in a significant environmental benefit, according to PostNord Norway’s Assistant Sustainability Manager Mai Kristen Willoch.

Six trucks will be deployed in the Oslo region this month but the aim is to have 35 trucks connected to electricity by June 2024.

PostNord will pay a monthly fee to gain access to electric and digital service, including electric vans owned by Einride.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Self-driving truck technology has attracted investor interest in recent years as it is cheaper and easier to roll out than self-driving cars.

Self-driving freight services require less mapping than other technologies because they operate on fixed routes between predetermined points, mostly on major highways without intersections or pedestrians.

Ainred’s expansion in Norway will expand the Nordic Link network, which connects locations in the Oslo region. In the future, the network will connect Norway, Sweden and Denmark along the E6 motorway.