The UAE is getting the region’s largest fleet of electric and self driving trucks, courtesy of Einride

Einride to establish freight mobility grid in UAE: Swedish electric and self driving trucking startup Einride and the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure have inked an MoU for Einride to deploy a 550 km freight mobility grid, dubbed Falcon Rise, in the UAE, according to a statement. The agreement will see fast tracked deployment of 2k EVs, 200 self-driving vehicles, and eight charging stations across the grid connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

The grid is a regional first and promises a slew of benefits: Better management of road freight, improvements to efficiency and operations, and better sustainability are among the list of benefits the grid will provide, according to Einride.

The timeline: Einride and the UAE are looking to develop the Falcon Rise grid over five years.

What they said: “Through this collaboration with Einride, we aim to leverage the latest technological advancements to reduce emissions and enhance the efficiency of freight operations across the region,” said MOEI’s Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs Sharif Al-Olama. “Einride’s offering will unlock new opportunities within the region by introducing a new way of shipping that is electric, autonomous, and digital,” said Einride’s EMEA General Manager Robert Ziegler.

About Einride: Founded in 2016, the company provides digital, electric, and autonomous technology solutions for the trucking sector that emphasize sustainability, according to its website. Einride’s grids are powered by Einride Saga, a “first-of-its-kind” smart platform ecosystem. The company was the first in the world to deploy an autonomous EV truck on a public road in 2019 and was also the first to get approval to operate autonomous trucks on US public roadways in 2022. Einride’s partners have seen 95% reductions in CO2 emissions, according to the statement.