First in the German Food Retail Industry: Lidl and Einride Bring Electric Trucks with Autonomous Driving Capabilities to Public Roads

In cooperation with the Swedish technology company Einride, the fresh-food discounter is launching the project in Edermünde, near Kassel, in the state of Hessen. The vehicle operates at SAE Level 4 under an official permit from the Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) and transports goods from the local administrative and distribution center in Edermünde directly to a nearby Lidl store.

With this step, Lidl, in collaboration with Einride, is introducing a forward-looking technology into the day-to-day operations of food retail stores in Germany. The electric truck with autonomous driving capabilities handles transport volumes in real-world operations: The single-unit vehicle, with capacity for 15 Euro pallets, makes up to three trips per day, fully covers the delivery of dry goods on this route, and can move over 3,000 pallets during the four-month project period. With its technological approach, the project specifically addresses the key factors behind current logistics bottlenecks and challenges – from highly complex supply chains to the shortage of skilled workers on the road. In addition, with this groundbreaking project, Lidl is laying the groundwork early on to integrate tomorrow’s technologies into its operational logistics processes, thereby actively shaping the future of the industry.

“Intelligence drives efficiency, and that is the backbone of consistently reliable product availability,” says Thomas Dangelmayer, Head of Operational Logistics at Lidl in Germany. “We ensure that products are always in the right place at the right time and in the right quality for our customers. With this innovative project, we are testing a technological milestone step by step and safely in real-world operations to determine how future-proof solutions can be optimally integrated into our logistics.”

Logistics in the food retail sector places significant demands on companies due to extremely high turnover rates and volumes. With 39 administrative and distribution centers as well as over 3,250 stores, Lidl in Germany offers a dense, highly standardized network – and thus the ideal setting for potential future scaling. Following the successful validation of this initial route, a second phase involves the gradual expansion into a "milk run" model with several stops at another location. The project, initiated by Schwarz Corporate Solutions and Schwarz Digits, demonstrates how the companies of the Schwarz Group effectively leverage synergies.

“For the companies of the Schwarz Group, innovation is the key driver of operational excellence and robust supply chains,” says Serhan Yildirim, Head of Schwarz Logistics Solutions. “Future-proof logistics aren’t achieved by waiting and seeing, but by acting with foresight. With this project, we’re combining the scalability of our unique ecosystem with Einride’s pioneering spirit. In this way, we’re actively driving the industry’s transformation.”

“Einride is already carrying out autonomous deliveries at real-world volumes according to fixed schedules for customers in the U.S. and Europe. Germany is one of Einride’s key markets. We are very excited to now bring this technology to public roads in Europe’s largest market for road freight transport and to demonstrate its benefits together with Lidl in Germany and the broader Schwarz Group ecosystem,” says Roozbeh Charli, Chief Executive Officer of Einride. “The German approval process is among the strictest in the world. Overcoming this hurdle there sets the stage for decisive scaling.”

Christian Hirte, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Transport, highlights the innovative approach and the project’s significance for Germany as a business location: “Autonomous and zero-emission driving is no longer a distant dream – it is becoming a reality on our roads. The fact that Lidl and Einride are taking this step now underscores the innovative strength of modern logistics and that of Germany as a business location, which was also supported by the Mobility Data Space. We want Germany to be a leading location for testing and applying new mobility technologies. Projects like this help to combine climate protection, competitiveness, and technological sovereignty.”