BMW has taken a step towards localizing battery manufacturing for future EVs. The automaker on Wednesday introduced a partnership with Envision AESC for a devoted battery plant in South Carolina.
The plant could have 30 gigawatt-hours of annual manufacturing capability and will probably be powered by powered by 100% net-zero carbon power, the 2 corporations mentioned in a press launch. A location hasn’t been chosen, however the plant will provide cells to BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, manufacturing unit situated within the northwestern a part of the state.
AESC mentioned it would provide next-generation cells with 20% extra power density, quicker charging speeds, and 30% extra EV vary for BMW fashions produced in Spartanburg by 2030. But the corporate did not present a particular timeline for manufacturing of the brand new battery plant. AESC additionally did not announce a complete quantity for the funding—though BMW did make clear that it represents a $1.7 billion funding from the automaker in its U.S. amenities.
BMW meeting plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
“Envision AESC is committed to sourcing critical battery components cobalt, lithium and nickel from certified mines, providing full transparency of extraction methods and ensuring responsible mining.” the corporate mentioned in an announcement. “The company increasingly relies on recycled materials, which will contribute to a reduction in CO2 emissions from cell production in the new plant.”
AESC was established by Nissan and NEC in 2008 and is finest referred to as the provider of cells for the Nissan Leaf. It turned Envision AESC and an impartial firm with its sale to China’s Envision Group in 2018 however continues to produce Nissan.
Cells for Nissan come from a Tennessee manufacturing unit situated close to the Nissan meeting plant in Smyrna. AESC can also be constructing a manufacturing unit in Kentucky, and introduced a partnership with Mercedes-Benz for a battery plant in Bibb County, Alabama, to produce the automaker’s Tuscaloosa meeting plant, which builds the EQS SUV and EQE SUV.
BMW automobiles in manufacturing on the Spartanburg, South Carolina plant
BMW hasn’t mentioned which electrical fashions will probably be assembled in Spartanburg. Opened in 1992 as BMW’s first manufacturing plant exterior Germany, the manufacturing unit at the moment builds the X3, X4, X5, X6, and X7 SUVs, with manufacturing of the XM plug-in hybrid SUV slated to start out there later this yr.
BMW’s battery announcement follows Honda’s latest announcement of an Ohio battery plant, whereas Hyundai not too long ago indicated it will transfer up the timeline for constructing EVs within the U.S. These initiatives will assist place future EVs for eligibility for the federal tax credit score below revised guidelines that emphasize native meeting and add extra necessities for minerals and provide chains.
In addition to utilizing AESC cells for future U.S.-market fashions, BMW can also be experimenting with new battery applied sciences, together with solid-state cells and a mixed-chemistry battery pack from startups Solid Power and Our Next Energy (ONE) respectively. But neither will seem in a manufacturing automobile for a while; BMW in 2021 estimated that solid-state batteries would not be prepared till the top of the last decade.
Source: www.greencarreports.com
