HEINEKEN & Einride to Introduce Electric Freight Operations for Beer Transportation in Europe

The brewing giant HEINEKEN and Einride are introducing electric freight operations powered by renewable electricity between HEINEKEN’s Den Bosch brewery in the Netherlands and the Duisburg distribution centre in Germany. An initial fleet of 5 trucks will transport ten daily full truck loads (~540 km per truck).

The companies will cut CO² emissions by ~930 tonnes per year.

The first wave of the project consists of the full deployment of Einride’s offering which encompasses the deployment of electric trucks fuelled by renewable energy, the establishment of charging infrastructure and the integration of the AI-driven operating system, Einride Saga.

The charging infrastructure, built to power the routes is based on Kempower charging solution, is integrated with Saga. 

Utilising data-driven insights, Saga will optimise routes, minimise energy consumption, and precisely monitor reductions in emissions.

Einride has helped to reduce the CO² emissions of the vehicles used by its business partners by up to 95% compared to diesel-driven alternatives. 

Robert Ziegler, General Manager EMEA at Einride, says: “At Einride, with a highly ambitious, sustainable driven team, we see HEINEKEN as an ideal partner on a clearly defined path to reduce emissions. As HEINEKEN’s actions towards net-zero span across the entire value chain, we are happy to help them achieve this goal by joining forces on a cross-border electrification journey.”  This partnership marks the beginning of a shared ambition to further reduce emissions and promote operations, drivers, and business across borders. Moreover, there are plans to extend this partnership to additional countries in the near future."

Arjen van der Woude, HEINEKEN’s Director Strategic Sourcing Supply Chain, adds: “Decarbonization of logistics will play a key role in achieving HEINEKEN’s net-zero commitments. At this stage, battery electric is one of the best-positioned technologies to decarbonize road freight. Einride has the knowledge, network and experience to offer long-term end-to-end electric freight capacity services at competitive conditions. Their capability to bind equipment manufacturers, transportation companies, carriers, drivers, and authorities together to smoothly organize logistics in critical parts of our network makes them a great partner.” 

HEINEKEN’s ambition is to reach net-zero carbon emissions in the value chain by 2040, with logistics representing 12% of its total carbon footprint.