As of now, three electric trucks are part of the logistics operations of the BMW Group’s home plant. What began when the first 40-ton electric truck was put into service by the Munich plant in 2015 has now been taken to the next level. Through the use of these electric trucks, the company reduces CO2 emissions by approx. 82 tons annually. All three trucks are used on public roads in the Greater Munich area.
With its first electric truck, logistics service provider ARS Altmann AG transports new cars on a 15-kilometer (9.3 mile) route through Munich: on its way from the town of Garching north of the city to the BMW Welt, the truck is loaded with vehicles to be handed over to customers; on the way back, it transports finished vehicles from the BMW plant, which will later be dispatched from the Garching site to the European sales network. A special feature of the new electric truck is its covered semitrailer.
The SCHERM Group has been a partner of the BMW Group for over two years, cooperating on matters of sustainable city logistics. The two companies are very satisfied with the experiences gained through the use of their first electric truck, which has operated very reliably since being put into service in July 2015.
At a top speed of 40 kilometers an hour (25 mph), the electric truck covers its route between the SCHERM logistics center and BMW Group Plant Munich eight times daily, saving about 48 tons of CO2 annually compared to a conventional truck. With its second electric truck, the logistics company now delivers vehicle components from its supply center in Karlsfeld, 12 kilometers (7.45 miles) outside of the city, to the Munich plant. At a top speed of 64 kilometers per hour (40 mph), the new electric truck has a range of approx. 160 kilometers (100 miles).
Thanks to the combination of green energy and alternative drives, the 40-ton electric trucks are emission-free, quiet and generate almost no particulate matter pollution. Compared to diesel engine trucks, the three electric trucks save 82 tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to the distance a BMW 320d would travel when going around the world almost twenty times, around 800,000 kilometers (497,000 miles). Depending on the specific tractor, the truck batteries take three to four hours to charge. When fully charged, the electric trucks have a range of up to 160 kilometers each (100 miles).
With its Strategy NUMBER ONE > NEXT, the BMW Group has prioritized e-mobility, digitalization and autonomous driving as the technologies of the future. In doing so, and based on its sustainable profitability, the company strengthens Germany as a driving force of the mobility and technologies of tomorrow. Urban mobility – and for the BMW Group this also includes urban logistics and transport — is a topic with great future potential. Since late 2013, the BMW i brand represents visionary vehicle concepts, connected mobility services and a new understanding of premium that is strongly focused on sustainability.
