The joint venture, named JUNA, already has the approval of the European Commission and is commencing its operations in Germany, with plans to expand its services to other European countries in the future.
What makes JUNA stand out, say the parties, is its introduction of an innovative pay-per-use model for electric trucks, which are known to be significantly more expensive than their conventional counterparts. Additionally, the platform provides access to spot and contract loads via sennder’s digital infrastructure.
David Nothacker, CEO of sennder, emphasized the significance of this venture, particularly for small carriers, stating:
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 e-truck’s widespread adoption. Given that e-trucks cost two to three times more than diesel trucks and that 70 percent of all trucks in Europe are owned by small carriers with less than 10 trucks, the combination of JUNA’s pay-per-use offering and sennder’s capacity utilization will effectively remove the barriers to adopting e-trucks.”
According to the founding companies, JUNA offers a comprehensive package that encompasses not only premium electric vehicles but also repair, maintenance, insurance, digital and electric services, along with usage-based fees.
The core objective behind this new joint venture is to eliminate the hurdles associated with the adoption of electric trucks by carriers, the companies say. This is made possible by combining Scania’s premium electric trucks and tailored services with sennder’s proprietary technology, which connects small and medium carriers with shippers.
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,” says Gustaf Sundell, Executive Vice President and Head of Ventures and New Business at Scania.
In the near term, by 2024, JUNA aims to significantly increase the presence of e-trucks in Germany by providing up to 100 electric trucks to carriers through their pay-per-use model. Looking further ahead to 2030, JUNA has ambitious plans to deploy 5,000 electric trucks, a substantial increase from the current numbers on the road.
A successful pilot program has already been launched, with a carrier driving a JUNA electric truck powered by renewable energy for an FMCG shipper and sennder customer in Germany.
Given that the potential for a substantial reduction of CO₂ emissions is significant, the companies say that they plan to expand the program to long-distance routes in 2024.