DAF Taps Einride for Level 4 Autonomous Electric Trucks — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Einride is partnering with PACCAR-owned DAF Trucks to integrate its Level 4 "Einride Driver" autonomous system into DAF's "X" brand premium heavy truck platforms.
- DAF offers a range of fully electric heavy trucks, from a 12-tonne XB Electric (Class 7 US equivalent) for urban distribution up to the XG and XG+ Electric for longer haul applications.
- Einride was the first company to successfully deploy Level 4 autonomous trucks on public roads in Europe and on private roads in Ohio, and has been building a DC fast-charging network to support commercial operations.
- Jeroen van den Oetelaar, DAF's Chief Engineer and board member, called the deal a testament to DAF's commitment to "future-proofing the logistics sector."
- Henrik Green, Einride's CTO, said the partnership validates the company's "vehicle-agnostic approach to autonomy" and accelerates the global scale-up of its Level 4 technology.
- PACCAR, DAF's parent company, also owns Kenworth and Peterbilt, DAF's US sibling brands in the heavy-truck market.
Why it matters: The deal gives Einride access to the manufacturing scale of PACCAR-owned DAF — whose US siblings include Kenworth and Peterbilt — to move Level 4 autonomous electric freight from pilot deployments in Europe and Ohio toward commercial volume. For fleets hit by driver shortages and volatile diesel costs, it pairs a proven L4 software stack with a truck maker that can actually build at scale.
Ask SkimNews
