Maersk obtains e-trucks for green transports in Germany

A.P. Moller – Maersk (Maersk) has recently purchased 25 new Volvo FH electric trucks for hinterland container transports in Germany.

This investment highlights the company’s aspirations to decarbonise global logistics and become a net-zero company by 2040 across all business areas and all modes of transport.

Jens-Ole Krenzien, Maersk Managing Director, North Europe Continent, said: “Recognising the pressing need to address the environmental impact of logistics, we are taking a bold step forward by ordering 25 advanced e-trucks.

“These cutting-edge vehicles, powered by renewable energy sources, hold immense potential in substantially curbing carbon emissions and further reducing Maersk’s carbon footprint.”

The first two units are planned to be delivered by Volvo Trucks in Q4 2023, the last in Q1 2024.

The purchase of fully electric trucks is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport.

Maersk is also looking into setting up charging infrastructure with green electricity for its own e-truck fleet at its warehouses in Germany.

The Danish giant plans to use the e-trucks for local deliveries in places like its large new warehouse in Duisburg, which will be opened this summer, and in the area Bremen/Bremerhaven, one of Maersk’s main gateway ports in Germany.

A deployment of e-trucks for shunting containers within the warehouse areas is also considered to eliminate even smaller sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions along the transport chain.

Besides the step in Germany, Maersk ordered 110 Volvo VNR electric trucks for North America a year ago, increasing its total commitment in the US to 126 Volvo trucks plus 300 e-trucks by its partner Einride.

More e-truck initiatives by Maersk are ongoing in other countries, besides low GHG emission rail solutions based on renewable energy as available in Germany, or based on climate-neutral bio-fuels as just announced in Spain.

This month, OCI Global (Euronext: OCI) announced it is fuelling the first ever green methanol-powered containership in partnership with Maersk.