Maersk has successfully completed two pilot tests that will provide electric truck deliveries to customers in Brazil. The organization used two heavy-duty tractor trailers to transport containers.
This initiative comes as the organization decarbonizes its supply chain in Latin America.
The two-week pilots were carried out by two EV truck manufacturers in Brazil. Managing director for the East Coast of South America at Maersk Karen Schoner says intermodal connectivity is crucial to Brazil’s population. “The growing need for landside transport capacity makes it even more important to ensure that we’re also able to provide sustainable solutions for these important transportation modes in the region. In Brazil, we are building a comprehensive network with the goal of seamlessly integrating the entire logistics process for our customers and reducing emissions,” she says.
Maersk is no stranger to electric trucks
The pilot project saw Maersk install electric charging stations, so that they could charge during the night. Senior customer communications manager Kristoffer Meinert in an article for Maersk says that the main challenge for electrifying trucks is cost. “Currently electric truck-solutions are not economically comparable to diesel-fuelled trucks. The good news, however, is that electrical solutions can easily become cheaper than their diesel counterparts.”
Einride gets in on the game
In March 2022, Maersk announced a deployment of 300 electric trucks into North America in partnership with Einride, making it the biggest deployment of electric trucks at that time. The delivery of these trucks is ongoing and will be complete in 2025.
Swedish-based Einride was founded in 2016. Einriode is a tech company that provides freight mobility solutions. The company also has autonomous driving on public roads and customer sites in Sweden. The company has a digital platform called Einride Saga which allows customers to get emission reports to assist companies in striving towards zero emissions.
Specialist’s view on electrifying the trucking industry
Mecalux, a leading company in the storage systems market specializing in the design, manufacture, sale and services of metal racking and automated warehouse solutions among others, says electric trucks are one of the greatest advancements recently. “Electric trucks are ground-breaking technology that could scale up efficiency in freight transport and help to make logistics services more sustainable,” the company says in an article on its website.
The move towards electric trucks is evident, with logistics companies looking to cut costs on maintenance and deliver goods in a more sustainable way. And now, companies are looking to electric trucks for all solutions, these include refrigerator and long-distance trucks.
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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.
