Strengthen Electrification Commitment, BMW Builds Battery Facilities At Leipzig

BMW iX with BMW battery module. (Doc. BMW Group)

With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle segment globally, BMW is currently preparing to release more electrification models in the future.

According to a report from InsideEVs on Friday, August 27, BMW is taking a major step towards expanding their electrification strategy by investing $108 million in its home country by building battery logistics facilities at their manufacturing plant in Leipzig.

This facility will not only be used for the electrification model of BMW, but will also be the newest Mini Countryman assembly site that will function fully with electric power.

Petra Peterhansel, Director of BMW Leipzig Factory, revealed that factories in Leipzig have always been at the forefront of producing BMW electric vehicle products since the i3 launch for the first time.

"Now, with the development of the production of electronic components and the upcoming launch of Mini Countryman, the future has begun to form," said Peterhansel.

Not only focusing on electric vehicles, BMW is also committed to implementing environmental sustainability principles with battery logistics facilities that will be equipped with solar power panels on its roof, producing 3,000 kW, planting more than 5,700 new shrubs and trees, and significantly reducing the use of carbon emissions.

The first phase of the construction of this facility is scheduled to be completed in mid-2024. This facility will act as a logistics center for BMW electric vehicle batteries, which will store high-voltage battery components for other electric models.

With the completion of the construction of this facility, it is hoped that it will create 500 new jobs in the Leipzig region. In addition, BMW has also detailed strategies for electric vehicles in the future.

In 2026, BMW has ambitions for a third of their sales to be pure electric vehicles or electric vehicles. They also plan to release more purely electric cars that will be based on the Neue Classe concept in the future.

Neue Classe is an ambitious project that BMW is working on to welcome the next technological era. The project aims to play an important role in the development of the technology anticipated in the next few years.

Once the Neue Classe concept is ready to be produced, BMW plans to launch six models that use the basis of this concept within 24 months of production starting. In fact, maybe the Mini brand will also use the Neue Classe basis or platform in the second half of this decade.

The Munich-based German manufacturer plans to start production of the first electricity-based Neue Classe by 2025 in Debrecen, Hungary, while the Munich plant will start production in 2026.