The BMW factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, will receive a $1 billion investment
Another $700 million will be used to build a new battery plant nearby
This will allow the automaker to produce six new electric SUVs in the US
BMW will invest $1,7 billion in EV production in the United States over the next few years in order to add six new models to its product line.
The automaker’s factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has made most of its SUVs sold worldwide since it opened in 1994.
In order to increase its production capacity and make it able to build electric vehicles on a large scale, the automaker has earmarked $1 billion to be invested in the plant over the next few years.
This will allow BMW to add six new electric SUVs to be built in the United States by 2030, in addition to its other electric models, which will continue to be manufactured in Europe.
At the moment, the factory produces a limited number of lithium-ion batteries to be used in hybrid versions of the X3 and the X5, but this won’t be sufficient to meet the demand that will be created by producing fully electric vehicles.
This is why the automaker will also spend $700 million in the State of South Carolina to build a new battery plant in nearby Woodruff.
This facility should have 1 million square feet of floor space and it is expected to employ 300 additional workers to build the company’s next generation of battery cells.
This cylindrical design is said to improve energy density by 20%, which could lead to 30% more range than with the current batteries used by the automaker. Charging could also be 30% faster with the new units.
In order to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing batteries, BMW will use recycled minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and lithium in its production process. According to the company, this could result in a 60% reduction in emissions over the current batteries.
According to the brand’s CEO, the Spartanburg plant will play a key part in the electrification of BMW over the rest of the decade.
