BMW Regensburg Plant: Electric Semi-Trucks Save 94 Tons of CO2

The BMW Group has initiated the partial electrification of supplier traffic around the Regensburg location: Recently, three fully electric trucks of the type DAF VDL CF Electric have taken over the transport of parts between various areas of the site. The trucks, operating on 100 percent green electricity, save up to 94 tons of CO2 annually compared to conventional diesel-powered transport vehicles by traveling 320 kilometers CO2-free and quietly on a daily basis.

Two of the three e-trucks transport high-voltage batteries from the e-components production site at Plant 6.11 on Leibnizstraße to the vehicle plant 6.10 on Herbert-Quandt-Allee. The trailers are branded accordingly: “Locally produced. Emission-free transported. Batteries from Regensburg for Regensburg.” The route that the two trucks complete between the plants is approximately eight kilometers long. The relatively short distance is perfect for the use of the e-trucks—especially since they are transporting a key component for e-mobility with the high-voltage batteries.

30 Rounds Per Truck Per Day

The trucks complete almost 30 such rounds per day. The third e-truck also completes its roughly three-kilometer route 30 times daily from an external warehouse to Plant 6.10 and back. It transports underbody panels for BMW vehicles manufactured here. All routes are partially within city limits before the plant gates, which makes them well suited for the use of e-trucks.

“The e-trucks operate emissions-free and quietly, thus not burdening the plant environment with pollutant emissions or noise—it's a true win-win situation for us,” says Andrea Pflügler, Head of Logistical Process Planning at the BMW Group Plant Regensburg, highlighting the advantages of the electrified parts delivery.

Studies indicate that an e-truck produces about ten times less noise emissions than a diesel-powered vehicle at low speeds of up to 60 km/h. The fact that the electric trucks cause less noise than conventional diesel trucks is also advantageous because, due to the three-shift operation at the Regensburg plant, they are almost in use around the clock.

“However, that also presented a planning challenge,” says Roman Klose, who accompanied the introduction of the electric trucks as a site logistics planner. He explains, “Since the vehicles are constantly in use, there's no opportunity to plug them into a charging station for a long time. Therefore, it was crucial to create charging opportunities at every stop.”