BMW has made electric vehicle history by putting a 40-ton electric truck into regular service on the roads of Munich, Germany.
The vehicle is one of a kind, as electric buses and trucks, which are becoming more popular now, usually weigh around 10 tons, according to CNET. The electric truck is also the first to be put on Europe's public roads.
BMW worked with automotive service provider Scherm on the initiative, while Dutch truck manufacturer Teberg is responsible for designing and building the truck. The vehicle will charge completely in three to four hours, and it can work all day on a single charge since it can travel up to 100 kilometres on a full charge.
Teberg says the truck is CO2-free and will save 11.8 tons of CO2 emissions per year compared to a vehicle running on diesel, The Verge reported.
The truck will be tasked with transporting shock absorbers, springs, steering systems and other vehicle parts between BMW's Group plant and Scherm's warehouses eight times a day.
"With our electric truck, we are spending another strong signal for sustainable urban mobility," said Hermann Bohrer, head of the BMW Group Plant, CNET reported. "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."
BMW and Scherm will operate the electric truck on a trial basis for the first year. Jurgen Maidl, head of logistics at BMW Group, said the truck will help the two companies figure out how to make electric trucks function in cities in the future.
"The BMW Group, along with our partner the Scherm Group, is once again bravely embarking on a new journey and delivering pioneering work," Maidl said.
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