Transportation

GE Appliances To Use Einride Autonomous Electric Pods


Swedish freight tech company Einride and GE Appliances (GEA) to bring Einride’s autonomous electric transports (AET) called Pods to the United States for the first time which have no driver/passenger cabins and are remotely controlled by operators back at the office.

The move represents a part of a billion-dollar investment in products and technology by GEA at its U.S. manufacturing and distribution operations.

Initially six electric and one autonomous Pod will be used at GEA locations in Tennessee, Georgia and Kentucky. The autonomous Pod will operate at GE Appliance’s 750-acre Appliance Park campus in Louisville, Ky. That number is likely to grow over time, according to an Einride spokeswoman.

“This marks an important milestone for the freight industry in the U.S., as it’s the first time an autonomous, electric, and remote-operated pod system is being installed on the scale in North America,” said Robert Falck, Einride CEO in a statement. “The system will allow GEA to reduce its environmental footprint and reap the benefits of Einrides’ world-leading technology.”

The companies say through the partnership GEA is expected to save 970 tons of CO2 emissions within the first year, a key element of its overall sustainability goals.

“Sustainability and cost-efficiency is a prerequisite for implementing innovation into our business strategy,” said Bill Good, GEA vice president of manufacturing in a statement. “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.”

Einride doesn’t actually sell its Pods, but rather makes them available on a subscription basis. It also doesn’t build them, outsourcing production based on its strict engineering and design guidelines. The vehicles are then managed the Einride Mobility Platform, a cloud-native transport execution system for autonomous and electric road transport.

There are four Pod Autonomous Electric Transport models based on their level of autonomy:

  • AET1: Operates in a closed facility with predetermined routes and a controlled environment.
  • AET2: For short shipments on routes that use public roads as well as geo fenced areas.
  • AET3: Deliveries between destinations on established back roads with limited traffic.
  • AET4: High-speed operation on major roads and highways between shipping destinations.

Monthly subscription fees range from $18,000 for and AET1 to $22,500 for an AET4 on top of a $10,000 reservation fee for all levels.

AET1 and AET2 are available now. AET3 and AET4 are available for reservations with shipment expected to customers in 2022-2023 according to the company’s website.

At the heart of the company is the founders’ stated commitment to reduce harmful emissions into the environment. Since its 2016 start, Einride claims it has helped reduce customer carbon dioxide emissions by 94% compared to driving with diesel, including embodied emissions.

Private industry has quickly latched onto Einride’s technologies and environmentally-sensitive philosophy. Among its biggest customers are Coca-Cola, appliance giant Electrolux, vegan food producer Oatly and German grocery store chain Lidl.

This new partnership with GE Appliances marks Einride’s major move to expand into North America.



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