Einride, a Swedish company offering digital, electric, and autonomous shipping technology, has entered the United States with several customers and is adding new products such as a U.S. version of its autonomous Pod vehicle.

A new range of global products includes a new Einride Pod product line, including a U.S. version of the Einride Pod and the new Flatbed Pod, as well as Einride Saga, what it calls an intelligent operating system for movement of freight.

The U.S. version of the Einride Pod will have the same autonomous technology as its European sibling, with SAE level 4 self-driving technology and safety architecture allowing for safe operations without a driver in the vehicle, but will be better adapted for U.S. roads and conditions.

The Flatbed Pod is a modular vehicle built to accommodate any kind of shipping needs, including transporting intermodal containers to make the transition between sea and road freight seamless. 

Through Saga, shippers will be able to order and track shipments, oversee routes and assignments, and visualize data and gain insights. Backed by analysis from Saga, the company estimates that at least 40%of U.S. road freight transportation could go electric today at the same cost as diesel or cheaper. 

U.S. Customers for Einride

Einride already works with companies such as Coca-Cola, SKF, and Lidl in Europe. In the past year (since Oct. 1, 2020), Einride’s partners have seen a 90% decrease in CO₂ emissions with electrical transport, while matching the cost of diesel, according to the company.

In the U.S., it’s working with customers such as Oatly, Bridgestone, and the latest, GE Appliances.

Einride recently announced the GE partnership, which will use Einride Pods at three of GEA’s locations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia, including its 750-acre Appliance Park campus in Louisville, Kentucky.

“At GE Appliances, we believe in always finding a better way and striving to be on the forefront of innovation,” said Bill Good, vice president of manufacturing at GE Appliances, in a news release. “Sustainability and cost-efficiency is a prerequisite for implementing innovation into our business strategy. The partnership and technology investment with Einride is allowing us to deploy safer, more sustainable, and cost-effective solutions for the movement and transportation of material.”

Hiring a remote truck driver for a new kind of job 

In addition to bringing its electric and autonomous transportation solutions to some of the biggest names in their respective industries, Einride has also hired the world’s first remote trucker to show how autonomous freight transport improves working conditions and creates a new type of job, Einride Pod Operator.

Being a remote pod operator involves the oversight and control of multiple Pods in real-time by one individual from a central location. In contrast to conventional trucking, remote operation will be safer, involve more regular hours, and provide a more hospitable work environment, according to the company.

The company said it is committed to creating at least 2,000 new jobs within the first five years of operation in the U.S. In addition to jobs such as Einride Pod Operator, the proliferation of electric and autonomous transport creates jobs across the supply chain, from electric infrastructure installation and maintenance to the widespread construction of 5G networks.

Einride will establish a U.S. headquarters in New York, where parts of the leadership team will be based, and will open regional offices in Austin, San Francisco, and the Southeast.