Scania and sennder Technologies recently announced that they have formed JUNA, a joint venture company to lead the way for electric solutions in road freight logistics across Europe. The joint venture, which recently launched in Germany, aims to advance electric truck adoption to drive the transition toward a sustainable logistics industry — in line with the 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, introducing a pay-per-use model for electric trucks. JUNA will enable large-scale adoption of electric trucks that are two to three times more expensive than the diesel equivalent.
By offering access to guaranteed loads on sennder’s digital platform, JUNA breaks the barriers to EV truck adoption by reducing financial challenges associated with high upfront costs, residual value, and technology risk by providing transport companies with commercial predictability through guaranteed incomes.
By combining Scania’s premium 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 decarbonization of European road freight logistics.
“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,” says David Nothacker, CEO of sennder. “Given that e-trucks cost two to three times more than diesel trucks and that 70% 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 utilization will effectively remove the barriers to adopting e-trucks.”
The innovative model offers premium EVs, repair, maintenance, insurance, and analytics services. In addition to usage-based fees and guaranteed use, JUNA optimizes 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.
A pilot project has recently been launched using a JUNA electric truck operating for a well-known FMCG shipper in the region of Stuttgart. This truck is charged with renewable energy and performing up to ten lanes per week, similar to its diesel predecessor. 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.
“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,” says Gustaf Sundell, Head of Ventures and New Business at Scania. “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.
Filed Under: Electrification, Technology News