GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company, is deploying a fleet of electric freight vehicles on routes between the company’s inbound warehouses and its manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee. The move will increase efficiency, reliability and lower the cost of moving manufacturing materials and components in a critical segment of the company’s supply chain. It will also provide data for the company to assess the environmental benefits of electric vehicles (EV) to achieving its operation’s sustainability goals. This is the implementation phase of an agreement between GEA and Einride, a leader in providing electric and autonomous shipping solutions.
“We’ve adopted many environmentally sustainable manufacturing practices to reduce the carbon footprint of our operations,” said Harry Chase, senior director for central materials, GE Appliances. “As we invest and expand our U.S. manufacturing to better serve our customers, we will deploy Einride’s EV technology on routes we frequently use to move materials. That’s where use of these vehicles can have a big impact on reducing emissions and costs.”
The EV trucks are being driven on routes between facilities operated by the Port of Savannah, and GEA’s inbound warehousing and logistics centers, manufacturing sites, and finished-goods warehouses. The trucks have a range of 200 miles per charge and will cover an estimated 125,000 miles annually – eliminating 210 tons of CO2 emissions within the first year.
“GE Appliances has been pivotal to our U.S. expansion with their commitment to building a more strategic, sustainable supply chain,” said Niklas Reinedahl, general manager, North America at Einride. “Deployment of this electric fleet together with their support of our autonomous EV solutions initiative, will allow GEA to further reduce its environmental footprint. We’re excited to see the impact of our technology in action.”
Using EV trucks brings GEA closer to accomplishing its Citizenship goals according to Shannon Fitzpatrick, senior sustainability manager at GE Appliances. “GEA is a member of the U.N. Global Compact. Integrating EV trucks into our domestic supply chain is another ambitious step to run our operations in more sustainable ways and reduce the carbon footprint of our supply chain.”
Since 2016, GE Appliances has invested more than $2 billion in its nine U.S. plants and nationwide distribution network. The investments have resulted in the creation of more than 4,000 new jobs.