Abu Dhabi is getting a green truck fleet: Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Center (ITC) has inked an agreement with Swedish electric and self-driving trucking startup Einride AB to establish a network deploying 1k all-electric heavy-duty trucks and 100 self-driving vehicles, according to a statement released last week. No investment ticket or timeline on the launch of the network were disclosed.
The details: The two will collaborate to develop a transit network connecting Al Ruwais, Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi, and the city of Al Ain, the statement notes. The network — dubbed the Falcon Energy Project — will also include the necessary charging infrastructure for the green fleet.
Is this Falcon Rise? The UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure inked an initial MoU with Einride last June to deploy a 550 km freight mobility grid. The agreement set out plans for the fast-tracked deployment of 2k EVs, 200 self-driving vehicles, and eight charging stations across a national grid, dubbed Falcon Rise, connecting Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. Initial plans saw a development timeline of five years.
About Einride: The company provides digital, electric, and autonomous tech solutions for the trucking sector to improve transport planning and tracking of shipments. Einride was the first company to deploy an autonomous EV truck on a US public road in 2019 and the first to secure approval to operate autonomous trucks on US public roadways in 2022, according to the company website.