US behemoth food company Mars is looking to put 300 “heavy-duty” electric trucks into operation in Europe by 2030, in what it is calling the largest electrification of freight trucking in Europe ever.
Running routes to and fro various company locations, this kind of trucking is primed for electrification, and a company the scale of Mars, which owns 50 global brands, transforming its freight into EVs could have a massive impact on emissions.
The deal is a collaboration with Swedish-owned Einride and launched in Germany last week, with routes in the UK and the Netherlands coming this year. “This sets a precedent for other players in the freight industry to follow, showcasing the mass potential of electrification at scale,” said Robert Falck, CEO and founder at Einride.
Technically the company will start hauling pet food from its Pet Nutrition factory in Verden, Germany, to its logistics center in Mindin, about 91 kilometers (about 56.5 miles) one way. Both locations come equipped with charging points, so a truck can easily do the full roundtrip with the option to charge on either side if needed.
To get things started, Einride provided Mars with two Mercedes-Benz eActros 300s and two charging stations with four charging points operated by Einride’s Saga operating system. The version of the electric truck has three battery packs with 105 kWh each, totaling 315 kWh, which should supply enough range to cover about 300 kilometers/186 miles with an average load. Next up is a route from its chocolate factory in Viersen to other sites, as well as routes in the UK and the Netherlands.
For its part, Mars is investing $1 billion over the next three years to help reach its zero-emissions target by 2050, with the target to cut carbon in half by 2030 across its full value chain. It, too, is investing about “a mid-six-figure euro amount in the installation,” Electrive reports.
The first two eActros 300s will soon be joined by more vehicles, although Mars didn’t specify if those will be Daimler Trucks, in that Einride sources its vehicles from several manufacturers. These fully-electric operations will be complemented with an autonomous pilot project, implemented in 2025.
By switching to the 300 electric trucks, Mars says it will reduce CO2 emissions by 20,000 tonnes per year, corresponding to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from Mars Logistik in Europe of around 10% per year.
Electrek’s Take
This type of trucking is primed to make the electric transition. For one, fleet trucks typically have a set route, making mileage easier to plan, and trucks can return to the depot in the evenings for overnight charging using their own infrastructure.
The shift from solely focusing on electrifying smaller trucks for last-mile delivery is moving to this kind of medium-duty hauling, with a new model from Mack Trucks recently out, other players such as Japan’s Hino and Isuzu working on new models.
Of course, the upfront costs for a company to convert to electric trucks is a tough sell, but a company like Mars bankroll it. Soon, the EU (and in California at least), regulations will leave companies with no choice but to make the switch. And doing so has the potential to clean up billions of tons of CO2 emissions a year.
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Trump’s Interior Department halted construction on 704 megawatt (MW) Revolution Wind, the US’s first multi-state offshore wind project that’s already 80% complete. Grid operator ISO New England says the decision is a threat to the grid.
ISO New England released a statement responding to the stop-work order, warning that “delaying the project will increase risks to reliability.”:
As demand for electricity grows, New England must maintain and add to its energy infrastructure. Unpredictable risks and threats to resources – regardless of technology – that have made significant capital investments, secured necessary permits, and are close to completion will stifle future investments, increase costs to consumers, and undermine the power grid’s reliability and the region’s economy now and in the future.
Revolution Wind, a joint development between Ørsted and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, is a 65-turbine project capable of powering around 350,000 homes in Rhode Island and Connecticut once it’s complete. It was expected to come online next year. The project has created more than 1,200 jobs.
On August 22, the director of Bureau of Ocean Energy Management sent a vague letter to Ørsted commanding it to halt all activities on the fully permitted Revolution Wind, citing “national security interests,” yet providing no details.
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BOEM’s Record of Decision for Revolution Wind, reported in 2023 in Section 4.6, page 185, states that the national security effects of the project would be “negligible and avoidable.”
This latest move echoes Trump’s cancellation in April of New York’s $5 billion Empire Wind 1 project, which was already under construction off New York’s coast. No viable reasons were given for that stop-work order either, and the cancellation was reversed in May.
Kit Kennedy, managing director for power at Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), released the following statement in response to the Revolution Wind order:
The Trump administration’s war on the electricity needed to power the grid continues on all fronts. Halting Revolution Wind is a devastating attack on workers, on electricity customers, and on the investment climate in the US.
New England homeowners will feel this when they tear open their electricity bills and look at the surging costs of keeping the lights on.
This administration has it exactly backwards. It’s trying to prop up clunky, polluting coal plants while doing all it can to halt the fastest growing energy sources of the future – solar and wind power.
It makes no sense to say we have an energy emergency and then make decisions like this. Unfortunately, every American is paying the price for these misguided actions.
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Tesla is teasing a new product release on Friday, August 29th, coming to Europe and the Middle East. It’s likely going to be the Model Y Performance.
On X today, Tesla has teased an upcoming product release coming this friday.
The post is cryptic. It only mentions ‘spoiler alert’ and the date August 29 with what looks like a close up of a vehicle with what appears to be a spoil – hence the “spoiler alert” reference:
There are main suspect is the Model Y Performance due to the spoiler reference.
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Since the Model Y refresh in January, Tesla stopped selling the Model Y Performance. It is due to launch the top performance version under the new design.
When Tesla released the Model 3 refresh in 2024, it took about 4 months for Tesla to launch the new performance version.
Electrek’s Take
The only thing that I find strange with this likely being the Model Y Performance is the fact that they tweeted this from the Europe and Middle East account.
It would be strange for the Model Y Performance to launch there first, but who knows. Maybe Tesla started production at Gigafactory Berlin first.
I don’t think this will have a major impact on Tesla’s business. The Model Y Performance is the least popular version of the best-selling Model Y.
We don’t have the full mix of sales, but I wouldn’t be suprised if it represents less than 10% of Tesla’s Model Y deliveries.
The Model 3 Performance is probably a more popular option within the Model 3 lineup as it is a lot more fun to drive.
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The GV60 Magma will have a distinct look and feel compared to other Genesis vehicles. As the first EV from its new performance sub-brand, the Genesis GV60 Magma will debut with enhanced power, advanced suspension, a sporty new design, and more. For the first time, it was caught on video racing around the Nürburgring, giving us our closest look yet.
Genesis GV60 Magma EV flexes new style at Nürburgring
Magma is “the brand’s expansion into the realm of high-performance vehicles,” Genesis boasted. Among the first vehicles to earn a Magma upgrade is the GV60.
Genesis fine-tuned the electric crossover SUV, giving it a wider and lower stance for improved control. The larger lower air intake contributes to the aggressive new look, while also serving to cool the batteries and motor, both of which have been upgraded for enhanced performance.
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Earlier this year, we got a good look at the GV60 Magma during winter testing in Europe. Although you could see a few new design features, it was mostly covered in camo.
Genesis GV60 Magma testing with other Magma vehicles (Source: Genesis)
After it was recently spotted with less camo at the Nürburgring race track in Germany, we are getting an even better idea of what to expect when it arrives.
The video from CarSpyMedia shows the Genesis GV60 Magma EV with a production body and minimal camouflage.
You can see the high-performance vehicle flexing its power and handling as it rips around the track. Like other Hyundai Motor performance EVs, including the new IONIQ 6 N, you can expect the Genesis GV60 Magma to deliver over 600 horsepower, if not closer to 700.
The current Genesis GV60 Performance delivers up to 429 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, good for a 0 to 60 mph sprint in 3.7 seconds.
Horsepower
0 to 60 mph (seconds)
Starting Price
Genesis GV60 Performance
429
3.7
$69,900
Genesis GV60 Magma
?
?
?
Porsche Taycan
402
4.5
$99,400
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (with Weissach Package)
1,092
2.1
$230,000
Tesla Model S Plaid
1,020
1.99
$89,990
Genesis GV60 Magma vs Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S Plaid
Genesis will launch the GV60 Magma EV later this year in Korea, followed by the US, Europe, and other global markets. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but given the Performance models start at $69,900, you can expect a higher starting price tag, likely closer to $75,000.
At that it would be significantly less than the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Tesla Model S Plaid. Will it match the performance?
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