Commercial freight EV and autonomous driving developer Einride continues to expand its operations globally. Today, the company announced the launch of the first daily commercial operations of its proprietary autonomous trucks in Europe, delivering goods for a pharmacy e-retailer.

Einride is a sustainable freight mobility specialist we’ve been tracking for several years, and for good reason. During that time the company has become one of the global leaders in scalable electric semi-trucks, digitally connected fleets, and autonomous and remote driving operations.

After expanding beyond Europe and establishing a US headquarters, Einride has expanded its sustainable fleet technologies throughout both continents, as well as the Middle East, where it secured a partnership with DP World.

Other clients include PepsiCo operations in the UK and, most recently, the US and Heineken in the Netherlands to move its beer through Europe. In November of 2023, the company announced the start of full-time, commercial autonomous truck operations with longtime partner GE Appliances.

Today, Einride announced a similar daily operation of autonomous trucks in Europe. More specifically, the trucks will transport cargo between pharmacy e-retailer Apotea’s warehouses in Sweden.

Per Einride, it has commenced commercial daily operations of its autonomous trucks in Morgongåva, Sweden, about 1.5 hours outside of Stockholm. The milestone marks the first commercial daily operations of autonomous trucks in Europe and Einride’s second commercial autonomous daily operation as a company.

The deployment entails one of Einride’s heavy-duty vehicles operating fully autonomously, without a driver onboard, navigating routes between Apotea’s warehouses in Sweden. The company also shared that the designated route is adjacent and open to a public road, making its operations possible via a public road permit. Henrik Green, general manager for Einride Autonomous Technologies elaborated:

Our autonomous technology facilitated by machine learning allows for higher utilization and efficient, safe freight. Adding our first autonomous route at Apotea’s site, and the first daily autonomous operations in Europe, allows us to showcase how the Einride ecosystem can optimize entire logistics flows. We are proud to start off this partnership with shipping the last wave of holiday gifts from Apotea’s warehouse autonomously.

Today’s launch builds upon a two-year partnership with Apotea, during which Einride has helped the pharmacy save over 917,000 kg CO2e, equivalent to 20 electric laps around the planet. The company states its autonomous freight technology is now shipping Apotea’s final wave of holiday gifts from the warehouses in Sweden.

General Motors (GM) and EV charging network ChargePoint announced they are joining efforts to install hundreds of ultra-fast EV charging ports across the US. Additionally, those new chargers will include ChargePoint’s recently released Omni Port technology, enabling both NACS- and CCS-equipped EVs to charge seamlessly.

ChargePoint ($CHPT) has been in the EV charging business since 2007 and currently offers a network of over 1 million EV ports across North America and Europe, making it one of the leaders in the space. No stranger to Electrek‘s homepage, we’ve seen multiple OEMs pair up with ChargePoint to roll out networks of branded fast chargers. This includes companies like Mercedes-Benz, Volvo Cars, and Nikola.

Meanwhile, American automaker GM has been dabbling in several EV charging ventures, many of which have been spearheaded by its GM Energy division. GM Energy has rolled out several home and public charging solutions for EV drivers and commercial fleets, securing partnerships with developers like FreeWire.

Meanwhile, GM has been building out its own network of branded EV chargers with the help of ChargePoint competitor EVgo. It is also part of the seven-automaker charging alliance called IONNA. To continue to bring more EV fast chargers to the people, GM and ChargePoint have announced a new collaboration to bring hundreds of Omni Port plugs to drivers before the end of next year.

ChargePoint shared details of its plans to accelerate the number of EV fast chargers in strategic locations around the US alongside GM. The joint effort entails installing up to 500 DC fast chargers capable of rates as high as 500 kW via ChargePoint’s Express Plus platform.

The Ev chargers will be branded with ChargePoint and GM Energy logos, as seen above, and many will include the former’s Omni Port technology, unveiled this past August. The Omni Port system combines J1772 and NACS ports while maintaining the capabilities for CCS1 DC fast charging where available.

As a result, ChargePoint’s Omni Port eliminates the need for adapters and dedicated charging spaces based on specific EV plug types, so virtually all EV makes and models can be recharged (unless you’re driving a Nissan LEAF with CHAdeMO). ChargePoint CEO Rick Wilmer spoke about the collaboration with GM:

The transition to electric mobility continues to be driven by leaders such as General Motors offering innovative EVs and committing to make chargers as ubiquitous as possible. Our collaboration with GM represents a significant investment in the infrastructure to enable fast and easy charging for all. Together, ChargePoint and GM will deliver a seamless, fast charging experience via reliable charging hardware managed by our industry-leading software platform.

ChargePoint and GM state that their new collaboration is targeted at accelerating the expansion and availability of DC fast chargers in the US by offering an incentive program designed to make it easier for third-party charge point operators (CPOs) to own and operate the incoming EV charging infrastructure. The new ChargePoint chargers also add to GM’s growing arsenal of options for its drivers to utilize. Per GM Energy Vice President Wade Sheffer:

Continuing to provide customers with better charging options helps to remove barriers to EV  adoption and improve the ownership experience. Today, GM drivers have access to hundreds of thousands of places to charge and we are proud that this collaboration with ChargePoint adds even more reliable, accessible and convenient charging experiences. With ultra-fast charging, Omni Port technology and excellent customers experiences, this collaboration should be another reason why EV drivers and the EV-curious should be excited.

ChargePoint and GM said they plan to roll out these new branded EV charging stations “rapidly,” all should be operational and open to the public by the end of 2025.

In a brazen operation pulled off by Ukrainian security forces, Russian Lt. Gen. Igor Anatolyevich Kirillov was assassinated in the Russian capital with what appears to be a weaponized electric kickscooter.

Kirillov was the head of the Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear defense troops of the Russian military at the time of his death. He was reportedly responsible for the use of the poison gas chloropicrin during Russia’s war with Ukraine, which the New York Times noted is classified as a war crime by the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Kirillov and his assistant were said to have been killed when a bomb attached to an electric scooter exploded outside of an apartment building Tuesday morning in Moscow.

Damage from the scene was relatively limited to the immediate vicinity of the blast, indicating that the size of the explosive was likely small and that the attack was targeted specifically at Kirillov. Officials claim that the explosive was likely detonated remotely.

Witnesses reported seeing a scooter leaning against the wall shortly before the blast, a common sight in the area that would have been unlikely to arouse suspicion.

An electric scooter was also seen at that location in video footage taken just before the explosion, and local officials were filmed collecting the charred remains of a scooter in a plastic bag while processing the scene.

Dashcam footage has also emerged showing the blast originating from the area where a black electric scooter is parked against the wall.

The non-conventional use of micromobility vehicles such as electric scooters, e-bikes, and e-motorcycles has become a common tactic employed by Ukraine. Small-format electric vehicles have been deployed by Ukraine on several occasions during the war, which escalated significantly with Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukrainian territory.

We first learned of Ukrainian electric bicycle manufacturer Delfast’s electric bikes being used as a mobile platform for carrying NLAW rockets used to destroy Russian tanks. The 50 mph (80 km/h) off-road electric bikes were uniquely suited to carrying heavy gear in rough terrain while remaining undetected due to low a noise/heat signature.

The Ukrainians have also used powerful electric bikes as silent, stealthy vehicles for inserting sniper teams at the front lines, allowing soldiers to emplace quickly and effectively without giving away their positions.

We’ve even seen Ukrainian soldiers using small electric boats, including electric kayaks, for mobility along rivers and other narrow waterways.

For its part, Russia has also employed non-conventional vehicles, though to much lesser effect. For example, its golf cart-mounted soldiers fared poorly when attempting to storm Ukrainian positions earlier this year, though the country has also begun testing electric motorcycles for wartime use.

Lead image: AI-generated; second image: Wikimedia Commons; third image: Wikimedia Commons