On our third day in Stockholm, we visited Einride and Ericsson, both in the technology industry. While Einride specializes in electric and autonomous trucking, Ericsson specializes in communication globally. We found these companies fascinating and enjoyed discussing the opportunities and challenges Einride will face as they mature and large-scale the deployment of their autonomous cars.
Christofer Laurel, Senior Vice President of Research and Public Affairs, spoke about how the future of transportation is electric, autonomous, and digital. Einride will be a disruptor in the automotive industry. Christofer said he believes they will disrupt the industry with digitalization, electric battery propulsion, and autonomous driving, leaving manual driving, diesel engines, and manual administration in the dust. Currently, the world is very early in switching to electric trucks, with less than 4% being sold worldwide. The main product we believe is useful is their software, Saga. They wish to work alongside companies such as Amazon, Volvo, and Tesla and not compete with them by offering their software for autonomous driving. They are striving to be the “Spotify of trucking.” Most countries do not allow autonomous vehicles without a permit and controlled situations at this time. Different countries have contested opinions on autonomous driving. In the United States alone, each state has different regulations and laws, which will make it hard for Einride to infiltrate the USA as a whole. Einride is trying to put the “E” in its rides, and hopefully, it can reach the ultimate goal of providing autonomous trucking globally.
Ericsson started in a kitchen in 1876. Since then, they have been exploring the possibilities of communication and how to make it as effective and efficient as possible. They are currently exploring all the possibilities of 5G and researching 6G, which should come out around 2030. We observed the prevalence of Swedish culture within Ericsson. Tony and Jan of Ericsson discussed how they believe the company is still very Swedish with its culture, even with its global presence. They told a story about a competitor releasing a new product and what they didn’t do. A competitor was advertising their new product, and even when they released it, Ericsson said nothing about their development of the same product. Instead, they released it silently, which wasn’t effective because no one knew about the release and how it was better quality than their competitors. They needed an outsider to bypass the Swedish business culture and brag about their product. A United States company wouldn’t be shy about stating how its product is better and would have received more traction than its competitors. Below is a video of an autonomous miniature car that Ericsson showcased alongside their capabilities of being able to observe outside forces and adjust.
We can’t wait to have a full day tomorrow to explore Stockholm and immerse ourselves in the Swedish culture even more! Next stops: Copenhagen, Malmö, and Gothenburg!
