Mercedes-Benz puts batteries on a green track with DB Cargo

Climate neutral transport solutions for the production of Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles: Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Production & Supply Chain Management, and Sigrid Nikutta, Member of the Group Management Board for Freight Transport at Deutsche Bahn AG, today officially opened the state-of-the-art Automotive Logistics Center in the direct vicinity of the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen. The center for battery logistics is the linchpin of the climate neutral logistics concept regarding the battery systems of the new Mercedes EQ model EQE. Starting this year, DB Cargo will transport these systems in a CO₂ neutral manner from the Mercedes-Benz plant in Hedelfingen, Stuttgart, a distance of some 650 km to Bremen and deliver them to the assembly line of the Mercedes-Benz plant there, as demand requires and in an equally CO₂ neutral way. The logistics center enables DB Cargo to maneuver trains alongside the assembly halls to unload them. The lithium-ion batteries are temporarily stored in a trailer yard and a battery hall and are prepared for delivery to the assembly line. Electric tractors are used to handle the loads.

Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Production & Supply Chain Management, and Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, DB Board Member for Freight Transport

Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG for Production & Supply Chain Management: "The consistent reduction of CO₂ throughout the entire value chain is the claim we have formulated in our Ambition 2039 vision. Carbon neutral transport logistics is an important step for us to take towards a climate neutral vehicle fleet and its production. For our global production network, we rely on a sustainable and environmentally friendly transport mix. The intelligent combination of sustainable transport modes, like at the Bremen battery logistics center, is a key prerequisite for this."

Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, DB Board Member for Freight Transport: "A single freight train can carry the freight of up to 52 trucks and automatically saves 80 to 100% of CO₂ emissions compared to road transport. We are proud that Mercedes-Benz entrusts us not only with the delivery of new vehicles to all European countries, but also with the supply of the plants with the new heart of the e-cars - the vehicle batteries. Batteries are not exactly light, and must be handled with sensitivity and transported carefully until they reach the assembly line. So a DB Cargo train is quite naturally the best climate-friendly mode of transport for the job!"

The transformation of the automotive industry to electric mobility is having an impact on all production processes. Supply and delivery paths via rail are taking on a whole new role, with the transport of lithium-ion batteries entailing special requirements. Preparing components for assembly on the production line also brings new tasks for rail logistics provider DB Cargo. In this context, DB’s logistics must be reliably adapted to suit the automotive industry’s production cycle, with rail, logistics and the assembly line all being in sync with one another. The direct rail connections that many Mercedes-Benz plants boast have been the backbone of climate-friendly automotive logistics for years.

Mercedes-Benz relies entirely on climate neutral rail logistics. DB eco plus is the name of the service that allows the premium manufacturer's logistics chains to be organized in a fully CO₂ neutral manner. This applies to the delivery of all vehicle parts by rail to the Mercedes-Benz plants and also to the shipping of brand-new vehicles.