An all-electric tractor-trailer hit the road in Munich, Germany—the first time such a large electric vehicle made by a European manufacturer has gone into regular service in Europe, according to BMW, the company behind the project. The 40-ton truck has a range of about 100 kilometers per charge, which takes three or four hours. Its first deployment will entail transporting vehicle components—such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems—over stretches of less than two miles across Munich seven times a day, HGV weekly reports. Developed by BMW Group and the SCHERM group, a German automotive service provider, the big rig is a model from the Dutch manufacturer Terberg. According to the companies, the truck is “CO2-free, quiet and generates almost no fine particle pollution.” They also state that compared to a standard diesel engine truck, the electric truck will save 11.8 tons of carbon dioxide per year—the equivalent of the emissions produced by driving one of BMW’s more efficient cars, which gets an average of 60 miles per gallon, around the world almost three times.
