Trucking company Scania and tech company Sennder Technologies are partnering for a pay-per-use trucking model.
Sennder Technologies is a leading digital road freight forwarder in Europe. Its focus is on the digitization and automation of road logistics.
The companies have formed JUNA, a joint venture company for electric truck solutions for logistics across Europe. Both companies hope this initiative will see the large-scale adoption of electric trucks.
Many companies have concerns about the upfront costs of having an electric vehicle in their fleet. JUNA aims to give companies peace of mind. The model will offer electric vehicles, repair, maintenance and insurance, and digital analytics services – at a usage-based fee. The project is anticipated to be a catalyst in the transition to mission transport.
Sustainable transport
A pilot of the initiative was successfully launched recently. The truck is operating for a FMCG shipper in the region of Stuttgart, Germany. There is potential to achieve an annual reduction of 93 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions for the first truck alone.
Head of ventures and new business at Scania Gustaf Sundell says, “JUNA is the result of a collaboration between two companies with complementary expertise in the areas of electric vehicles and digital logistics, which will accelerate the transition to electrified heavy transports. Scania is exploring new solutions to find ways of creating value for our customers now and in the future and we are proud to see this project with Sennder come to life. We believe it will play an important role in driving the shift to a sustainable transport system.”
Sennder Technologies’ CEO David Nothacker says this joint venture will propel the widespread use of electric trucks. Given that e-trucks cost two to three times more than diesel trucks and that 70% of all trucks in Europe are owned by small carriers with fewer than 10 trucks, the combination of JUNA’s pay-per-use offering and Sennder’s capacity utilization will effectively remove the barriers to adopting e-trucks,” he says.
Trucking solutions
Scania is a leading transport company. It is also a leading provider of power solutions for industrial and marine applications.
Earlier this year, the company said it was working on a solar-powered truck project. The electrical propulsion for the truck is generated by the vehicle’s solar cells, sited in a trailer that’s attached to a hybrid-electric vehicle.
Mordor Intelligence reports the global electric truck market is expected to experience excellent growth in the next five years. “Medium-duty trucks are projected to make up over 93% of the global electric truck fleet by 2026, with over 302,000 units in use worldwide.”
About the author
Sharl is a qualified journalist. He has over 10 years’ experience in the media industry, including positions as an editor of a magazine and Business Editor of a daily newspaper. Sharl also has experience in logistics specifically operations, where he worked with global food aid organisations distributing food into Africa. Sharl enjoys writing business stories and human interest pieces.
