Smart Freight Centre adds Ikea, CH Robinson, DHL Supply Chain to I-10 coalition for EV truck testing; group plans trials between Los Angeles and El Paso to accelerate long-haul electric trucking deployment

June 6, 2025 (Transport Dive) –

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Dive Brief:

-- Ikea , Electrolux Group , C.H. Robinson Worldwide and DHL Supply Chain will test long-haul heavy-duty battery-electric vehicle operations, according to an April 28 press release. -- The shippers and carriers plan to test the EV trucks along the US I-10 corridor between Los Angeles, California , and El Paso, Texas , through the I-10 coalition. The coalition is led by Smart Freight Centre, a member-based group is focused on climate action in the freight sector. -- The new members joined the coalition alongside previous members including AIT Worldwide Logistics , Maersk, Microsoft and PepsiCo. Together the initiative is designed to aggregate demand, fund vehicles and infrastructure, and establish a unified industry approach to accelerate the deployment of long-haul electric trucking, according to an email from the non-profit. Dive Insight:

Several shippers and carriers joined non-profit Smart Freight Centre’s I-10 coalition to advance their freight sustainability goals and reduce fleet emissions. Together, they aim to deploy long-haul EV at scale and with cost parity to traditional fleets.

The newest members have advanced their own efforts for sustainable fleet operations in the past few years.

Ikea committed to transitioning its fleet of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to zero-emissions in markets such as China and India by 2040, according to a previous press release. The company’s goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 70% by 2030. It also wants to ship goods using zero-emissions heavy-duty vehicles and ocean vessels by 2040, Doris Martetschläger, who heads supply chain operations at Ikea , said in the release.

On the other hand, Electrolux, a home appliance company, partnered with J.B. Hunt to service three electric semi trucks at its regional distribution center in Ontario, California , to lower its ground transport emissions, according to a 2024 press release.

“Our industry is dependent on complex supply chains and our overall sustainability impact often depends on decisions made in our supply chain," Tara Helms , director of sustainability for Electrolux Group in North America , said in the April release.

In 2023, DHL Supply Chain announced the deployment of two Class 8 electric trucks in California with plans to deliver an additional 11 units across Ohio , North Carolina , Pennsylvania and California . The third-party logistics provider plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, which includes operating 30% of its heavy-duty vehicle fleet with zero or near zero-emissions technologies by 2030, Stephan Schablinski, VP of GoGreen for DHL Supply Chain North America , said.

Currently, the company has 20 EV over-the-road trucks and 100 EV yard trucks deployed across its operations, a spokesperson said in an email.

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