Heineken explores electric transport for cross-border freight

Heineken is exploring electric freight transport on the route between the brewery in the Dutch city of Den Bosch and the distribution centre in Duisburg, Germany. This is expected to help the brewery reduce carbon emissions by 930 tonnes a year. It is another step in the company’s transition to fully decarbonized freight transport.

Heineken’s ambition is to achieve net zero emissions in its supply chain by 2040; logistics currently accounts for 12% of the company’s total CO₂ emissions. Einride was brought in to achieve the goals. This company designs, develops and implements freight transport technologies to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport.

“Decarbonization of logistics plays a key role in achieving Heineken’s net zero ambition. Currently, battery-electric transport is one of the best positioned technologies to decarbonize road freight,” states Arjen van der Woude, Director Strategic Sourcing Supply Chain at Heineken.

“Einride has the knowledge, network and experience to offer long-term end-to-end electric freight services on competitive terms. Their ability to bring together vehicle manufacturers, transport companies, carriers, drivers and authorities to smoothly organize logistics in key parts of our network makes them a great partner,” adds Van der Woude.

Implementation of Einride offering

The first phase of the project consists of the full implementation of Einride’s offering. This includes deployment of electric trucks powered by renewable energy, establishment of charging infrastructure and integration of the artificial intelligence-based control system, Einride Saga, which powers the entire ecosystem.

An initial fleet of five Mercedes eActros 300 model trucks will carry 10 full truckloads daily over a distance of about 540 kilometres per vehicle. The charging infrastructure built to power the routes is based on the so-called Kempower charging solution, integrated with Saga.

Using data-based insights, Saga will optimize routes, minimize energy consumption and closely monitor emission reductions. This way, Einride manages to reduce the carbon emissions of its business partners’ vehicles by up to 95% compared to diesel alternatives.

An electrification journey that transcends national borders

“At Einride, we see Heineken as an ideal partner on a clearly defined path to reduce carbon emissions,” states Robert Ziegler, General Manager EMEA at Einride. “Since Heineken’s ambitions towards net zero extend across the entire supply chain, we are happy to help them achieve this goal by working together on an electrification journey that transcends national borders.”

There are now also plans to extend the cooperation to other European countries.