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Plant Woodruff Will Produce Batteries for Fully Electric BMW X Models at Plant Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will be created onsite at Plant Woodruff with the opportunity to grow.
“We're making the BMW Group electric. Our new battery assembly plant in Woodruff will soon play an important role in our electric future here in the USA,” said Ilka Horstmeier, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Human Resources and Real Estate. “Through the Woodruff plant, we expand our footprint in the state of South Carolina. At the same time, we are taking our associates with us in this transformation. Our new Technical Training Center at the Spartanburg plant will prepare our 11,000 associates for the future. In this way, we are taking responsibility as a reliable employer and offer future-proof jobs at the same time.”
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.
Source: BMW
