The BMW Group took a major step on Tuesday towards building electric vehicles in the United States as it broke ground for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina. Named “Plant Woodruff,” the BMW facility will produce sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will be created onsite at Plant Woodruff with the opportunity to grow.
Last October, BMW Group Chairman Oliver Zipse announced a new $1.7 billion investment in its U.S. operations, including $1 billion to prepare Plant Spartanburg for the production of fully electric vehicles and $700 million to build a new high-voltage battery assembly plant. The Woodruff facility, located on 315 acres near the city, will be more than one million square feet in size that includes construction of a technology building and support buildings such as a cafeteria, fire department, and energy center.
As part of the BMW Group’s “local for local” approach, the company will purchase battery cells for its electric vehicles from partner AESC, which is building a new 30 GWh battery cell factory in Florence, South Carolina, with BMW as its first customer. AESC broke ground for its new plant on June 7. They will produce newly developed round lithium-ion battery cells, specifically designed for the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. The new battery format will increase energy density by more than 20 percent and improve charging speed and range by up to 30 percent. At the same time, CO2 emissions from cell production will be reduced by up to 60 percent through the partial use of secondary lithium, cobalt, and nickel material, as well as renewable energy for production.
Battery cells produced at the AESC facility in Florence will be shipped to Plant Woodruff, where the cells will be used to manufacture batteries for fully electric BMW X models at Plant Spartanburg. By 2030, Plant Spartanburg will build at least six fully electric BMWs.
The new BMW Technical Training Center (TTC), which opened in October, will play a critical role in preparing associates to build fully electric vehicles. Plant Spartanburg already produces three plug-in hybrid electric vehicles – the BMW X3 xDrive30e, BMW X5 xDrive50e, and the BMW XM – and several hundred associates already have EV training. The TTC will be at the center of all EV training for North and South America to ensure associates master the skills to set new industry standards.
The BMW Group’s philosophy of promoting sustainability in all its facilities will be promoted at the Woodruff plant as well. This was important in the building’s design and use of equipment. Some of the innovations include:
– Plant Woodruff will be operated without fossil fuels and will use 100 percent green electricity. In addition, CO2 emissions per vehicle across the lifecycle will fall by 40 percent by 2030.
– The structure is “solar ready,” meaning it supports the installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system in the future.
– The facility uses a highly energy efficient concept with only 67 kwh/m²a energy consumption.
– Smart LED lighting and occupancy sensors combined with dimming strategies to reduce energy consumption for lighting.
– Significant reduction in water consumption at the plant. Rainwater will also be harvested and used.
– BMW will use technology from CarbonCure that injects captured CO2 into fresh concrete during the mixing process. This concrete will be used in sections of the facility. This sequesters CO2 permanently at a molecular level and increases the strength of the concrete.
– Use of highly efficient electrical “smart” motors from Turntide, a BMW iVentures partner, to reduce energy consumption by as much as 40 percent in HVAC systems.
