The $4.6 trillion global road freight sector is poised for a profound transformation. Long seen as one of the hardest industries to decarbonize, it now faces mounting pressure—from customers, regulators, and the climate itself—to operate more sustainably. Electrification offers a path forward, but to scale effectively, the sector must go beyond one-to-one vehicle replacement and embrace intelligent, AI-powered planning.
Traditional approaches to electrification typically involve swapping diesel trucks for electric ones while maintaining legacy logistics systems. This might work in isolated use cases, but it falls short at scale. Vehicle range limitations, charging requirements, and operational complexity multiply across large fleets. To fully realize the benefits of zero-emission transport, the entire system needs to be rethought.
That’s where AI comes in. Einride, in collaboration with the Fraunhofer ISI research institute, recently conducted a study using operational data from REWE, a major grocery retailer. The study analyzed more than 38,000 shipments across 200 trucks and 500 delivery locations, comparing two strategies: (1) the direct replacement of diesel trucks and (2) an AI-driven system-level planning approach.
With AI planning, battery-electric trucks handled 85% of the total payload, compared to just 57% under the one-to-one strategy. Electrified tonne-kilometres doubled. Most importantly, the AI-optimized approach resulted in a 13% reduction in total cost of ownership, compared to a 3% reduction for traditional replacement strategies that still rely heavily on subsidies.
Einride’s Planning AI sits at the core of this approach. It dynamically reconfigures routes, vehicle roles, and charging schedules based on real-world conditions, ensuring higher utilization, reduced infrastructure needs, and smarter energy use. Rather than simply adding electric vehicles, it unlocks their full potential within a digitally optimized network.
This isn’t just about new trucks. It’s about a new mindset. Sustainable freight requires more than clean technology; it demands system-level innovation and operational intelligence. Planning AI bridges that gap.
The road freight industry is at an inflection point. The technology is here, the business case is stronger than ever, and the urgency to act is growing. The companies that lead will be those willing to think beyond vehicles—and start reimagining the entire system.
The freight revolution is no longer a question of if, but how.
Source: WEF