Autonomous logistics provider Einride and Fraunhofer ISI, Europe’s largest applied research organisation, have found that AI-powered fleet planning significantly reduces costs and boosts electrification, according to a study released on 17 June in Germany.
The study analysing over 38,000 shipments and 200 vehicles from REWE, one of Germany’s largest grocery retailers, has shown that using artificial intelligence to plan fleet operations can cut total cost of ownership (TCO) by up to 13% and dramatically increase the share of electric trucks in commercial transport.
The research examined real-world logistics data from REWE’s Berlin-area operations. It compared two approaches: a direct diesel-to-electric truck replacement and a system-wide optimisation using Einride’s Planning AI.
The AI-powered system enabled electric trucks to carry 85% of the total payload and cover 54% of total mileage—far above the 57% payload and 32% mileage achieved by the one-to-one replacement model.
Total cost of ownership across the fleet dropped by 8–13% in the AI-optimised scenario compared to an all-diesel fleet. In contrast, the 1:1 replacement approach resulted in only 3% cost savings, which were heavily reliant on government subsidies for capital expenditure.
“Appropriate planning software that integrates route and charging planning at the fleet level has a significantly greater impact than, for example, increasing battery sizes or the uncoordinated expansion of charging infrastructure,” said Prof. Dr. Patrick Plötz, Head of Energy Economics at Fraunhofer ISI.
Installing 150 kW fast chargers at loading bays helped lower costs in both scenarios, but fleets optimised with AI planning were less dependent on this infrastructure to reach high electrification rates.
Even in simulations without subsidies, the AI-optimised fleets maintained cost parity with diesel operations, suggesting that intelligent planning could help operators remain resilient amid market fluctuations and policy changes.
Dr. Fabian Nevries, Head of Transport Innovation & Technology at REWE, commented that economic efficiency is a key condition for the sustainable transformation of truck fleets and that REWE supports continued innovation in this space.
