Scania has launched a new business called JUNA that will facilitate access to electric trucks on a pay-per-use basis.

The Berlin-based company was established as a joint venture with freight forwarding business Sennder Technologies.

Scanis hopes the initiative will "clear the way for large-scale adoption of electric vehicles" by "removing the obstacles currently hindering the industry". These include high upfront costs, residual value, and technology risk.

JUNA will introduce a pay-per-use model for electric trucks. The pricing includes access to Scania electric vehicles, repair, maintenance, insurance, digital and analytics services. In addition, JUNA will optimise electrification strategies and simulate routes to determine suitability. By doing so, it aims to remove some of the risks associated with electric truck adoption and streamlining operations.

Gustaf Sundell, executive vice president and head of ventures and new business at Scania, said: “JUNA is the result of a collaboration between two companies with complementary expertise in the areas of electric vehicles and digital logistics, which will accelerate the transition to electric transportation. “Scania is exploring new solutions to find ways of creating value for our customers, today and in the future. And we are proud to see this project with sennder come to life. We believe it will play an important role in driving the shift to a sustainable transport system.

David Nothacker, CEO of Sennder Technologies, added: “This is a pivotal moment for our industry, and we are excited to be partnering with Scania to create a joint venture that will propel the widespread adoption of electric trucks. “Given that they cost two to three times more than diesel trucks and that 70% of all trucks in Europe are owned by small carriers with fewer than 10 trucks, the combination of JUNA’s pay-per-use offering and sennder’s capacity utilisation will effectively remove the barriers to adopting electric trucks.”