Leipzig. The electrification of transport logistics
for e-component production is gathering pace. Recently, two fully
electrically powered trucks took over the transportation of components
from the warehouse to the high-voltage battery production halls at BMW
Group Plant Leipzig. Together, they will save around nine tonnes of
CO2 a year compared with conventional diesel-powered
transport vehicles.
The two electric trucks complete the eight-kilometre round trip from
the logistics centre to Leipzig’s high-voltage battery production
halls and back up to twelve times a day. That’s almost 100 kilometres
per truck per day – covered quietly and with zero local emissions. For
short distances like this, electric trucks are the perfect solution.
The two vehicles transport parts for e-drive production, primarily of
battery cells and battery modules. They take the parts from the
logistics warehouse in BMW Allee to the production halls on the plant
premises, operating round the clock in three shifts. The semi-trailer
sports a battery symbol on the side and words proclaiming that the
fully electric truck is on the road for Leipzig – for local
production, emissions-free transportation and high-voltage batteries
made in the city.
Electric trucks support high-voltage battery production
BMW Group Plant Leipzig has been manufacturing e-components for the
production network since 2021. Since early 2024 it has also been
running the entire high-voltage battery production process for the
current, fifth generation. This consists of three stages, which are
carried out on the plant’s five cell coating, three module production
and two high-voltage battery assembly lines – and include the
powerpacks for the MINI Countryman Electric, manufactured in-house
since March of this year. Battery production currently operates with a
team of about 1,000 employees.
As well as high-voltage batteries for the MINI Countryman Electric,
Plant Leipzig produces battery packs and modules for the BMW
production network, for the fully electric BMW iX1, BMW iX2, BMW i4,
BMW i5 and BMW iX.
High-voltage batteries are produced in the halls that used to be home
to BMW i3 and BMW i8 assembly. The halls have now been converted and
new buildings added, creating some 150,000m² of space for this area of
production on the premises of Plant Leipzig. Annual output stands at
up to 300,000 high-voltage batteries a year, with the BMW Group’s
investments in e-component production at Plant Leipzig totalling more
than 900 million euros so far.
Plant Director Petra Peterhänsel sees the introduction of the two
electric trucks as a further milestone on the road to the future: “We
are delighted to be undertaking this journey with our longstanding
logistics partner, the Rudolph Logisitik 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.”
Lower emissions, less noise
Powered by lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery systems, the two
fully electric trucks working for BMW Group Plant Leipzig are made by
Designwerk. According to the manufacturer, the four electric drives in
a Designwerk electric truck deliver 610 hp and are three times more
efficient than their diesel counterparts when out on the road. They
produce zero emissions when in operation and do not impact the
environment with soot particles, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon dioxide
(CO2) or engine noise. Studies show that when passing or
accelerating at low speeds, an electric truck emits around five
decibels (dB) less noise than a comparable diesel-powered vehicle.
Trucks are charged during drivers’ breaks. Their 340 kWh batteries
take around 1.5 hours to recharge to 80 percent. They can be
replenished about 3,000 times, according to Designwerk.
Open to different technologies to reduce CO2 from logistics
The use of electric trucks in logistics is among the measures in the
BMW Group-wide Green Transport Logistics Project. This aims to reduce
emissions from transportation in the global production and sales
network, and takes an open approach to technologies, prioritising
CO2-efficient energy and transportation options. Besides
battery-electric trucks, increasing use is being made of biofuels such
as HVO100, made from residues and waste and used at the Munich site,
for instance. Production deliveries in Germany have also been trialled
using bio-LNG in vehicles on the roads. Moreover, in an attempt to
learn more about using hydrogen as a fuel for trucks, the BMW Group is
involved in research projects such as H2Haul and HyCET.
By 2030 the BMW Group aims to reduce CO2 emissions across
the vehicle lifecycle by 40 percent, compared with 2019.
