OREANDA-NEWS. Clean and quiet transport across Munich: from today on, the 100% electric trucks from the BMW Group and the SCHERM group will be in service. This means the BMW Group will be the first automobile manufacturer in Europe to use a 40-ton electric truck for material transport on public roads. It was launched at the BMW Group Plant in Munich by Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner.

The electric 40-ton truck – a model from the Dutch manufacturer Terberg – has successfully completed its first test drives. On 7 July, the car will go into regular operation and travel eight times a day between the SCHERM group logistics centre and the BMW Group plant in Munich. It will transport different vehicle components, such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems.

The electric truck by the BMW Group and the SCHERM group will be exclusively charged with electricity from renewable sources. The combination of this and the alternative driveline means the 40-ton truck helps the environment while it is on the road – it’s CO2-free, quiet and generates almost no fine particle pollution. Compared to a diesel engine truck, the electric truck will save 11.8 tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to the distance a BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics would travel when going around the world almost three times.

The truck battery takes three to four hours to charge. When fully charged, the vehicle has a range of up to 100 kilometres. Thus, the electric truck can theoretically complete a full production day without any additional recharging.

Bavaria’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner: “Bavaria is a leading industrial and research location. It is crucial that the Bavarian economy is also at the forefront in electric mobility. BMW is making an important contribution to this and is showing that you can succeed on the global market with sustainable products made by innovative companies.”

Hermann Bohrer, Head of the BMW Group Plant in Munich: “With our electric truck, we are sending another strong signal for sustainable urban mobility. We are contributing to reducing emissions in the city and are proud to be the first automotive manufacturer in Europe to use an electric truck of this size to transport materials on public roads.” Thus, the innovative truck is another valuable contribution to sustainable production.

J?rgen Maidl, Head of Logistics at BMW Group, emphasised the potential of the electric truck. “With this project we will gain valuable information on what will be possible with electric trucks in the future for city logistics. The BMW Group, along with our partner the SCHERM Group, is once again bravely embarking on a new journey and delivering pioneering work.”

Kurt J. F. Scherm, CEO of the SCHERM group underlined: “As a supplier of transport solutions, it is especially important to us to offer sustainable transport. The electric truck is the first step towards CO2-reduced transport logistics. In addition, this innovative truck is charged with 100% green energy.“

Urban mobility – and for the BMW Group this also includes urban logistics and transport — is a topic with great future potential. Since the end of 2013, the BMW i brand has been on the market. In addition, the company has launched its successful car-sharing programme DriveNow and established it in international cities. The BMW i3 vehicles are currently being introduced into the DriveNow fleets step by step.

The BMW Group

With its three brands BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2014, the BMW Group sold approximately 2,118 million cars and 123,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2014 was approximately €8.71 billion on revenues amounting to €80.40 billion. As of 31 December 2014, the BMW Group had a workforce of 116,324 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established environmental and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

The BMW Group Plant in Munich – the BMW Group’s home plant.

The BMW Group Plant in Munich is the BMW Group’s home plant. It combines engineering excellence and innovative strength with a passion for the BMW brand and the company among its approximately 7,700 employees from more than 50 nations. The plant is located in the north of Munich, in close proximity to the corporate headquarters, the BMW Museum, BMW Welt and the FIZ research and innovation centre. The BMW Group Plant in Munich has been producing cars and engines since 1922.

At present, up to 1,000 cars are produced every day at the BMW Group Plant in Munich, including the BMW 3 Series saloon, the BMW 3 Series touring, the BMW 4 Series coup? and the BMW M4 coup?. In 2014, the plant produced a total of 228,126 vehicles. In addition to the automotive core production, producing engines has been a core competence of the BMW Group Plant in Munich for many years. In 2014, the plant produced 622,986 engines. This corresponds to approximately 3,000 engines per working day. The range of engines includes BMW 3-, 4-, 8- and 12-cylinder petrol engines, BMW 6-cylinder diesel engines and 8-cylinder high performance engines for BMW M vehicles.

The SCHERM Group

The SCHERM Group is an international systems provider offering solutions for the logistics, transport, real estate and service sectors. As a provider of services for the entire value chain, the company employs a workforce of around 2,000 employees at 14 locations and on a mobile basis in around 500 company-owned trucks. Within this, sustainability is an important factor, which the company has identified as a fundamental value.