German carmaker BMW says its Mini car plant in Oxford now receives parts via LNG-powered trucks as the firm looks to further slash emissions.
BMW UK said in a statement that 18 LNG trucks from Imperial have now hit the road, transporting parts and components from suppliers on 15 different routes across the UK to the home of the Mini brand.
According to BMW, the new fleet has already delivered a “reduction of about 20 percent in CO² and NOX emissions, compared to diesel alternatives.”
In future, the carmaker expects a total carbon dioxide reduction of up to 90 percent by using bio-LNG.
“We are really excited to be working with Imperial on this project as part of our wider efforts to improve sustainability throughout all areas of the BMW Group,” Thomas Frank, director of logistics at the Mini plant in Oxford, said.
“The fleet will travel from more than a dozen key suppliers, including the BMW plant in Hams Hall, and it means that around 20 percent of all lorries now coming to the plant in Oxford will be powered by LNG fuel,” he said.
Imperial has tested LNG trucks in both the UK and Germany over the past 12 months.
In addition, the company has installed its own LNG facility close to the plant in Oxford, which means vehicles on routes with limited refueling opportunities can leave Oxford with a full tank before continuing their onward journey, according to BMW.
LNG, electric, and hydrogen power
The plant in Oxford has already adapted to a “360-degree sustainability strategy involving heat regeneration, environmentally friendly production, the harvesting of rainwater and one of Britain’s largest solar energy facilities.”
The next step is to increase sustainability in all areas of its supply chain and logistics operations, BMW said.
Transport logistics has a “key” role to play in achieving the group’s supply chain sustainability target, by reducing carbon dioxide emissions per vehicle by 20 percent by 2030, BMW said.
Moreover, BMW is also working with service providers to use natural gas-powered and electric trucks worldwide in order to reduce emissions in logistics, it said.
Several battery-electric trucks are already in use at the BMW plants in Munich and Landshut for transport trips within the plant gates and over short distances.
“The extended use of such lorries is undergoing continuous testing, while the possibility of using hydrogen power is also under consideration,” BMW said.