A.P. Moller - Maersk (Maersk) said it will add 300 electric trucks to its North America network.

In a statement, Maersk said the trucks will be delivered between 2023-2025 for use by Maersk's North American warehousing, distribution, and transportation business called Performance Team – A Maersk Company.

It added that this will also be the largest heavy-duty electric truck deployment to date.

Maersk noted that the trucks will be operated using Einride's digital road freight operating system and charging solutions. They will operate as part of Performance Team's road freight network.

"Our customers are looking for tangible actions on sustainable supply chains - not just conceptual. Today's order is an important step in building our end-to-end, landside decarbonization foundation while also addressing customers' inland transportation pain points," said Vincent Clerc, CEO of Ocean & Logistics, A.P. Moller - Maersk.

Clerc noted that Maersk has a "comprehensive decarbonization plan in motion" and that for its ocean activities which represent 93% of all company-related emissions.

"This order marks the expansion of our ambitions to cover all services across transport modes," he added.

Maersk said Einride's e-trucks are assembled to set specifications throughout the US. The initial batch of trucks are Class 8 8TT Gen 3 manufactured by BYD. The partnership will initiate the first large-scale use of Einride’s digital road freight operating system which centralizes decision-making by providing data integration with full transparency across the electromobility spectrum. 

Road freight decarbonization

"This is one of the biggest deals ever made to make transportation sustainable, and it comes at a critical time. Not only is the road freight industry responsible for close to 8% of all global CO2 emissions – a number that will continue to grow if cost-effective change is not made today – but you also have a world that is more aware than ever before about the urgent need to shift to electric," commented Robert Falck, CEO of Einride.

Maersk Growth invested in Einride in 2021 with an intention of working closely with an electric and technology-focused player to accelerate the decarbonization of trucking activities.

Maersk said the partnership is part of a global framework enabling collaboration in locations also outside the US in the future and Maersk is now accelerating these efforts with the North America order.

"Maersk's long-term goal in North America is to move toward a fully electric trucking fleet to offer customers an environmentally-friendly alternative for short-haul trucking," it said.