Einride, a freight mobility company that supplies digital, electric and autonomous technology, has partnered with PepsiCo to provide a fleet of digitally optimized electric trucks to operate in Memphis, Tennessee. This initial installment will support PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay food distribution by electrifying some routes in the Memphis region.
A key food and beverage customer for Einride in the U.S. and the United Kingdom, PepsiCo aims to reduce its Scope 3 emissions with this partnership. It plans to leverage Einride’s offering of connected electric trucks, charging infrastructure and a digital freight platform that optimizes operations with data-driven insights.
“PepsiCo’s decarbonization strategy is not one-size fits all,” says David Allen, vice president and chief sustainability officer for PepsiCo Foods North America. “We’re continuously looking for new and innovative ways to reduce our Scope 3 emissions. Our three-way partnership with Einride and Armstrong Transportation has built a scalable, turnkey approach to electrification-as-a-service with sustainability at the center of our joint goals.”
“We are proud to deploy our technology in partnership with the PepsiCo team, given their ambition to cut emissions at scale with decarbonized freight,” adds Robert Falck, CEO and founder of Einride. “These operations will accelerate a cleaner, more efficient supply chain, while showcasing that going electric with freight operations is not just possible, but essential.”
The fleet of five vehicles, which are operated with drivers from Frito-Lay’s Memphis-based carrier partner Armstrong Transportation, is projected to transport over 2,500 loads annually, covering nearly 200,000 miles and reducing approximately 143 metric tons of CO2e emissions each year.
To ensure a smooth transition for drivers and expand charging infrastructure in the market, Einride has installed a 700-kW private charging station at Armstrong’s yard, allowing Frito-Lay to unlock electric freight operations quickly without complexity or costly overhead investments.