Lower-emissions transport: Electric trucks for electric components

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.