Einride and PostNord expand zero-emission deliveries to Norway
Einride is expanding its operations in Norway by building on its partnership with PostNord. The postal provider manages 35% of all mail deliveries in Scandinavia and began electrifying its service fleets with Einride in Sweden last year. Now, both want to connect the services across borders.
The local Einride Grid, named Nordic Link, will commence in the Oslo region and expand along the E6 highway, connecting Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, to enable electric, digital, and autonomous cross-border transport in Scandinavia. PostNord expects the fleet to cover over 1,500 km of daily driving distance. The medium-term goal is to connect the Nordic Link and the European mainland before 2025.
“For PostNord, this partnership signifies the start of implementing green corridors between several major terminals in Norway,” said May-Kristin Willoch, Assistant Director of Sustainability at PostNord Norway. “This brings PostNord closer to its target of becoming fossil-free by 2030.”
The electrification of PostNord’s fleet in Norway marks the second market for the Einride partnership. As in other markets, Einride’s ecosystem is based on a grid that relies on the company’s Saga platform to manage and optimise long-distance freight, considering specifics of electric transport such as battery recharges. Einride signs responsible for all logistical touchpoints, including software, charging infrastructure and maintenance.
In Norway, the new deal will include developing charging stations on key points throughout the country and extending the Nordic Link grid, first unveiled in 2022, so Einride.
The company further points to the MODI project, a €28M initiative co-funded by the EU and coordinated by ITS Norway, in which Einride is a partner. The 42-month project is to support the rollout of heavy-duty autonomous transport by addressing standardisations, regulations and infrastructure. In the Norwegian use case, Einride’s autonomous vehicle will cross country borders for the first time, demonstrating operations on a selected stretch of the E6 highway between Gothenburg and Oslo in 2025.
Einride already launched a lighter commercial EV called Pod in 2020. The Pod can drive uncrewed and has scored special permits in the US and Europe. Still, Norway would be among the first real-life uses.
Other than that, Einride relies on various manufacturers to offer electric fleet vehicles to operators. For example, they ordered 120 eActros from Mercedes-Benz in 2021 or 200 e-trucks from BYD in February 2022, followed by Scania e-trucks in June last year and also placed an order with DAF in 2023.
PostNord and Einride have yet to disclose which vehicles they will use for the delivery services.
Norway marks the eighth operational market for the company, with PostNord joining other companies, such as PepsiCo, Lidl, Electrolux and AB InBev, to switch to electric freight with Einride. Earlier this month, the company also announced plans for setting up a grid in the United Arab Emirates.
Einride’s portfolio includes the platform Saga, the autonomous vehicle Gen 2, a connected electric truck and Einride charging stations.
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