The shift towards greener transport logistics is accelerating at BMW Group Plant Leipzig, where two fully electric trucks have recently taken over the transportation of e-drive components from the logistics center to the high-voltage battery production halls. This move is expected to save around nine tonnes of CO2 annually compared to traditional diesel-powered vehicles, marking a significant step in the plant’s sustainability efforts.
Covering an eight-kilometre round trip up to 12 times a day, each electric truck completes almost 100 kilometres daily – a distance covered quietly and without local emissions. The trucks primarily transport battery cells and modules, making them a perfect solution for the short distances between the logistics warehouse at BMW Allee and the production halls.
Supporting High-Voltage Battery Production
Since early 2024, BMW Group Plant Leipzig has managed the entire high-voltage battery production process for its fifth-generation electric vehicles. This includes cell coating, module production, and battery assembly, with the process spanning five cell coating lines, three module production lines, and two battery assembly lines. High-voltage batteries produced at the plant power models like the MINI Countryman Electric, which has been manufactured in-house since March 2024, as well as the BMW iX1, iX2, i4, i5, and iX.
The plant’s transition to battery production has involved converting the former BMW i3 and i8 assembly halls and adding new buildings, resulting in 150,000 square meters of dedicated production space. With an annual output of up to 300,000 high-voltage batteries, BMW Group has invested over 900 million euros in e-component production at Plant Leipzig.
Petra Peterhänsel, Plant Director, emphasized the importance of the new electric trucks, stating, “We are delighted to be undertaking this journey with our longstanding logistics partner, the Rudolph Logistik Gruppe. The transition to electromobility and sustainable production affects not only our BMW and MINI cars but our production methods and supply chains as well.”
Electric Trucks: Lower Emissions, Less Noise
The two electric trucks, built by Designwerk and powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery systems, deliver 610 hp through four electric drives, making them three times more efficient than diesel counterparts. Operating with zero emissions, the trucks produce no soot particles, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide (CO2), or engine noise, significantly reducing their environmental impact. Studies show that these electric trucks emit about five decibels (dB) less noise than similar diesel models when passing or accelerating at low speeds.
The trucks’ 340 kWh batteries take around 1.5 hours to recharge to 80 percent during drivers’ breaks, and the batteries can be recharged approximately 3,000 times over their lifespan.
Green Transport Logistics Project: A Multi-Tech Approach
The deployment of electric trucks is part of the BMW Group’s broader Green Transport Logistics Project, which seeks to reduce CO2 emissions from transportation across the company’s global production and sales network. The project embraces multiple technologies, prioritizing CO2-efficient energy solutions like battery-electric trucks and biofuels. For instance, the Munich site has adopted HVO100 biofuels made from residues and waste, and production deliveries in Germany have been tested using bio-LNG. Additionally, the BMW Group is exploring hydrogen fuel for trucks through research initiatives like H2Haul and HyCET.
BMW Group aims to achieve a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions across the vehicle lifecycle by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. The integration of electric trucks into logistics at Plant Leipzig is a critical step toward meeting this goal, contributing to a more sustainable future for automotive production.
