sennder and Scania establish joint venture JUNA GmbH

Scania, a leading provider of transport solutions, and sennder Technologies GmbH, a digital freight forwarder in Europe, today announced the establishment of a joint venture, JUNA GmbH, to explore electric solutions in road logistics across Europe. The joint venture, which has successfully commenced operations in Germany, aims to accelerate the large-scale adoption of electric trucks and promote the transition to a sustainable logistics industry, in line with the goals of the European Green Deal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

(Berlin/Södertälje) JUNA, headquartered in Berlin, introduces an innovative pay-per-use model for electric trucks that are two to three times more expensive than diesel trucks, enabling the large-scale adoption of electric trucks. JUNA provides transport companies access to electric trucks and guaranteed transport volumes by creating access to spot and contract transports through sennder’s digital platform. JUNA facilitates the transition to electric trucks for transport companies by eliminating financial challenges associated with high acquisition costs and residual values, making predictable commercial use of electric trucks possible. By utilizing Scania’s electric trucks and offering tailored services, along with sennder’s advanced technology that connects small and medium-sized transport companies with shippers, JUNA combines the strengths of both companies to accelerate the decarbonization of European road logistics.

The innovative model offers a comprehensive package that includes premium electric vehicles, repair, maintenance, insurance, digital and electric services, and usage-based fees with guaranteed utilization. Through data analysis, JUNA optimizes electrification strategies and simulates routes for the suitability of electric vehicles. By eliminating the risks associated with the introduction of electric trucks and streamlining operations, JUNA will play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions and driving the transition to low-emission transport.

Pilot program has successfully launched

A pilot program has successfully launched, where an initial transport company operates a JUNA electric truck powered by renewable energy up to ten times a week for an FMCG corporation and sennder client in the Stuttgart region, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With the potential to achieve an annual reduction of 93 tons of CO2 emissions for the first truck alone, plans are in place to expand the scope of the pilot program in 2024 to long-distance routes and 100 electric trucks. The pilot utilizes existing public charging infrastructure in Germany, with per kilometer costs comparable to current diesel costs. By 2030, JUNA plans to deploy 5,000 electric trucks to accelerate the transition to sustainable transport.

David Nothacker, CEO of sennder, says: “This is a pivotal moment for our industry, and we are excited to work with Scania to build a joint venture that will drive the widespread adoption of electric trucks. Given that an electric truck costs two to three times more than a diesel truck and that 70 percent of all trucks in Europe are operated by small transport companies with fewer than 10 trucks, the combination of JUNA’s pay-per-use offering and sennder’s capacity utilization will effectively remove the barriers to the adoption of electric trucks.”

Two companies with complementary perspectives

Gustaf Sundell, Executive Vice President and Head of Ventures and New Business at Scania, says: “JUNA is the result of collaboration between two companies with complementary expertise in electrification and digital logistics, which will accelerate the transition to electrified heavy transport. Scania is exploring new solutions to find ways to create indispensable value for our customers today and in the future. And we are proud that this project is taking shape with sennder. We are convinced that JUNA will play an important role in the transition to a sustainable transport system.”

Photo: © sennder