On Tuesday, the BMW Group took a significant step toward building electric vehicles in the United States as it broke ground for a new high-voltage battery assembly plant in Woodruff, South Carolina.

The Woodruff plant will produce sixth-generation batteries to supply fully electric vehicles at nearby BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg. More than 300 jobs will be created onsite with the opportunity to grow.

‘New era’

The plans represent investments of $700 million in the construction of the new Woodruff plant and $1 billion in the Spartanburg plant in preparation for electric vehicle production.

“Today’s groundbreaking is the start of a new era at plant Spartanburg as we prepare to produce fully electric BMW X models for the world,” says Robert Engelhorn, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing in Spartanburg.

“The road to the future begins here in South Carolina. Woodruff will be state-of-the-art regarding sustainability, flexibility, and digitalization,” he added.

Local-for-local approach

“We are working consistently to advance the transformation to electromobility,” says Markus Fallböhmer, Senior Vice President of Battery Production at BMW AG. “And close connection of battery production with vehicle production is part of our strategy. Our local-for-local approach.”

The BMW Group is particularly focused on keeping the carbon footprint and consumption of resources for production as low as possible, starting in the supply chain.

60% carbon footprint reduction

Cell manufacturers will use cobalt, lithium, and nickel that include a percentage of secondary material, i.e., raw materials that are not newly mined but already in the loop.

Combined with the commitment to use only green power from renewable energies to produce battery cells, the BMW Group will reduce the carbon footprint of battery cell production by up to 60 percent.

High ecological standards

The Woodruff plant will also meet high ecological standards. The site will operate without fossil fuels and use 100% green electricity. Plant roofs are being prepared for the installation of photovoltaic systems. Intelligent LED lighting with motion detectors and an efficient dimming strategy reduce energy consumption and light emissions to a minimum.

An innovative technology that injects captured CO₂ into the fresh concrete during the mixing process will be used in the plant’s construction. This sequesters CO₂ permanently at a molecular level and increases the strength of the concrete.