Scania CV AB and sennder Technologies GmbH, a digital road freight forwarder, have announced a new joint venture, JUNA, to lead the way for electric solutions in road freight logistics across Europe.
The joint venture, that just recently launched in Germany, aims to advance electric truck adoption to drive the transition towards a sustainable logistics industry, in line with ACEA/PIC joint statement that ”by 2040 all new commercial vehicles sold must be fossil free”.
JUNA is a newly formed and Berlin-based German company (GmbH) introducing a pay-per-use model for electric trucks.
JUNA will reportedly clear the way for a large-scale adoption of electric trucks that, on face value, are two to three times more expensive than the diesel equivalent. By offering access to guaranteed loads on sennder’s digital platform, JUNA aims to remove the obstacles of electric truck adoption for its customers.
That includes the financial challenges associated with high upfront costs, residual value, and technology risk, and provides transport companies with commercial predictability through guaranteed incomes.
By combining Scania’s electric trucks and tailored services with sennder’s advanced technology for connecting small and medium carriers with big name shippers, JUNA is leveraging the strength of both companies to accelerate the decarbonisation of European road freight logistics.
The model offers the full package including premium electric vehicles, repair, maintenance, insurance, digital and analytics services. In addition to usage-based fees and guaranteed utilisation, through data analysis, JUNA reportedly optimises electrification strategies and simulates routes for electric truck suitability.
By removing the risks associated with electric truck adoption and streamlining operations, JUNA will play a pivotal role in reducing carbon emissions and advancing the transition to low-emission transport, according to Scania.
A pilot project has just recently been successfully launched. The first customer is using an electric truck supplied by JUNA charged with renewable energy and performing up to 10 lanes per week just like its diesel predecessor.
The truck is operating for a well-known FMCG shipper in the region of Stuttgart. With the potential to achieve an annual reduction of 93 tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions for the first truck alone, the pilot’s scope will be expanded to include long-distance routes during 2024.
The project relies on existing public charging infrastructure, and with per-kilometre costs comparable to current diesel charges.
David Nothacker, CEO of sennder, said: “This is a pivotal moment for our industry, and we are excited to be partnering with Scania to create a joint venture that will propel the widespread adoption of e-trucks.
“Given that e-trucks cost two to three times more than diesel trucks and that 70 per cent of all trucks in Europe are owned by small carriers with fewer than 10 trucks, the combination of JUNA’s pay-per-use offering and sennder’s capacity utilisation will effectively remove the barriers to adopting e-trucks.”
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Gustaf Sundell, Head of Ventures and New Business at Scania, said: “JUNA is the result of a collaboration between two companies with complementary expertise in the areas of electric vehicles and digital logistics, which will accelerate the transition to electrified heavy transports.
“Scania is exploring new solutions to find ways of creating value for our customers now and in the future and we are proud to see this project with sennder come to life. We believe it will play an important role in driving the shift to a sustainable transport system.”
The two parties signed a joint venture agreement in May this year and have obtained necessary approval from the relevant competition authorities.
In October 2023, A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) and Kodiak Robotics, Inc., launched the first commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City.
