According to media reports, German automotive company BMW has deployed two Designwerk electric trucks to provide operational services at its Leipzig plant. Currently, these trucks are operating between the high-voltage battery production workshop and the parts supply warehouse, with an expected annual reduction of around 9 tons of CO2 emissions compared to diesel trucks.
In terms of actual driving distance, the round trip between the battery production workshop and the parts supply warehouse is only 8 kilometers, but due to BMW's three-shift operation, the electric trucks are expected to make up to 12 trips daily.
The Designwerk trucks are powered by four drive units with an output of 610 horsepower (approximately 450 kW) and are equipped with a 340 kWh battery. These batteries take about 1.5 hours to charge to 80%, allowing drivers to rest during charging.
Battery production at the BMW Leipzig plant only started this year, following the announcement of the plan last summer. Besides BMW, Porsche has also deployed seven electric trucks for operations in the area, featuring different brands like Scania and Daimler Truck. Porsche's battery supplier, Dräxlmeier, also has a major facility in Leipzig.
The BMW Leipzig plant produces high-voltage batteries for the MINI Countryman Electric and manufactures battery packs and modules for BMW models, supplying components for the fully electric iX1, iX2, i4, i5, and iX.
Petra Peterhänsel, head of the BMW Leipzig plant, considers the use of these two electric trucks a significant milestone. She stated, "We are excited to embark on this journey with our long-term logistics partner, Rudolph Logistik Gruppe. The transition to electric mobility and sustainable production not only affects our BMW and MINI cars but also influences our production methods and supply chain."
