BMW's Spartanburg battery plant's output may double

According to foreign media reports, the BMW Group's Spartanburg plant in South Carolina is about to double the output of high-voltage batteries. The factory’s battery production facilities can produce new fourth-generation batteries, which can be used in the BMW X5 (parameter|inquiry) and BMW X3 plug-in hybrid models. Michael Nikolaides, senior vice president of BMW Group Engine and Electric Transmission Division, said that the company has invested nearly 10 million US dollars in the new battery assembly line and the workshop area has expanded to more than 8,000 square meters. This means that as long as there is sufficient demand in the market, BMW You can double the battery output. The new assembly line can produce various types of fourth-generation batteries to meet the needs of various electric vehicles in the United States. By the end of 2019, the Spartanburg plant will recruit more than 120 new workers to be responsible for battery production. The BMW Group started localized production of batteries at the Spartanburg plant in 2015. In the past four years, the battery assembly team of the plant has produced more than 45,000 automotive power lithium-ion batteries. Between 2015 and 2018, the Spartanburg plant under the BMW Group manufactured the BMW X5xDrive40e, the first mass-production plug-in hybrid model of the BMW brand. The mass production of the new BMW X5 plug-in hybrid model will start in August 2019, and the mass production of the BMW X3xDrive30e will start in December 2019. Since the beginning of 2019, the BMW Group has invested another 10 million U.S. dollars in the mass production of plug-in hybrid models and provided training on electric vehicle production for another 225 vehicle assembly workers. At present, the BMW Group has three plants with battery production capacity: the Dingolfing plant in Germany (mainly responsible for the production of electric drive equipment), the Spartanburg plant in the United States, and the powertrain plant under BMW Brilliance. The BMW Group is also cooperating with local partners in Thailand and plans to supply batteries for local electric vehicles.