Autonomous trucking is moving from pilot talk to real freight operations, with Einride logging a 27% revenue increase and a 60% jump in driverless operating hours in the first half of 2025, according to FreightWaves.
Saga AI Scale-Up: Revenue, Trucks, and Driverless Hours
The results follow Einride's June 10 initial public offering, and CEO Roozbeh Charli told FreightWaves he expects the growth rate to roughly double in the second half of the year. The revenue gains represent early progress toward converting approximately $800 million in joint business plans with customers into recognized revenue.
Einride currently operates roughly 250 trucks on its Saga AI platform across more than 30 customers in seven countries, including Amazon, Heineken, and PepsiCo. The company's autonomous driverless operating hours grew by about 60% over the first half of the year, according to the FreightWaves interview.
| Metric | Figure |
|---|---|
| Revenue growth (H1 2025) | 27% |
| Driverless operating hours growth (H1) | ~60% |
| Trucks deployed on Saga AI | ~250 |
| Customers | 30+ |
| Countries of operation | 7 |
| Tesla Semi order | 500 |
| Tesla Semis targeted to deploy before year-end | ~75 |
| Amazon middle-mile electric trucks | 75 |
| Amazon deployment locations | 5 |
500 Tesla Semis for the U.S. Platform
The most significant near-term expansion, according to FreightWaves, is a 500-truck order for Tesla Semi vehicles. Einride will purchase the trucks, finance them through third-party partners, and deploy them on its platform as the carrier of record. Charli said approximately 75 of those trucks are expected to be deployed before year-end, with the remainder targeted for deployment by the end of next year. The program is U.S.-focused.
"By accumulating this transport demand on the platform, we're well positioned to decide where and when, in which case it makes sense to deploy autonomous into the networks of our customers," Charli told FreightWaves.
Amazon Middle Mile and the Customer Roster
Separately, Amazon's middle-mile freight network is absorbing 75 Einride electric heavy-duty trucks across five locations, a deal announced in April before the IPO, according to FreightWaves. Charli said the majority of those trucks are expected to be deployed before year-end, building on a proving period the two companies completed together ahead of the formal commitment.
Einride's existing customer base already includes Amazon, Heineken, and PepsiCo, in addition to more than 30 customers across seven countries, per the FreightWaves report.
How Einride Survived the Autonomous Trucking Shakeout
Charli attributed the company's survival through an industry shakeout that at one point included roughly 24 well-funded autonomous trucking startups to its early commercialization model, FreightWaves reported. Rather than waiting for full autonomy to materialize, Einride built carrier partnerships and customer revenue streams first, then layered in autonomous technology gradually.
"We've chosen to build the business around an early conversation with the customers, which also means that you have revenue generation, you have the commercial opportunities locked in," Charli said.
Defense Unit and the Android Driver
Einride is also pursuing a defense business unit built around what it calls the Android Driver, a vehicle-agnostic autonomous software stack, according to FreightWaves. The company has conducted a pilot for a NATO allied country, participated in the Swedish Resilience Initiative, and added retired General Keith Alexander to its board within the past few months. Charli described the defense segment as early-stage but said it represents a meaningful growth opportunity over the next several years, with efforts currently concentrated in Europe and expanding into the U.S.
Watch List
- Second-half revenue growth: Einride expects its 27% first-half growth rate to roughly double in H2, according to Charli. The next earnings update will show whether that trajectory holds.
- Tesla Semi deployment pace: Roughly 75 of the 500 ordered Tesla Semis are targeted for deployment before year-end, with the remainder by the end of next year, FreightWaves reported.
- Amazon middle-mile rollout: The majority of 75 electric heavy-duty trucks across five locations are expected to be deployed before year-end, according to Charli.
- Defense segment expansion: The Android Driver defense business is early-stage, with efforts in Europe expanding into the U.S., per FreightWaves.
- FreightWaves Brokerage Compliance Symposium: Scheduled for the day before F3, the event will cover fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, and insurance gaps, according to the article.
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