BMW to invest €125M in Dingolfing and Landshut plants for components for BMW i electric-drive models
07 July 2012
BMW will invest €125 million (US$154 million) in its plants in Dingolfing and Landshut (Germany) to produce components for the BMW i model electric-drive vehicles. (Earlier post.) The new BMW i models are the first pure electric drive cars from the BMW Group. The new BMW i3 will enter production in Leipzig at the end of 2013, followed by the BMW i8 in 2014.
BMW Group Board Member for Production Frank-Peter Arndt announced the investment at a meeting with German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer at the BMW plant in Dingolfing. There, the first assembly line for high-voltage battery in the new BMW models i was symbolically put into operation, marking a milestone on the way to series production electric vehicles from BMW.
Dingolfing and Landshut will contribute major powertrain, chassis and body parts. For example, Dingolfing will supply the battery, the E-gear and the aluminum structure of the chassis for the i3, and front axle, front end and rear chassis modules for the i8.
Landshut will provide the electric motors and a range extender, as well as high-voltage battery and motor gear units for the BMW i production models. In addition to the electric drive modules, Landshut will provide body parts from CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced plastic) for the BMW i made models.
This may be the best way to mass produce affordable electrified vehicles. Using much lower cost batteries, electrical parts, modules, components and assemblies, mass produced in China it will be possible to build future EVs at a competitive cost with ICE units in USA and EU.
Posted by: HarveyD | 10 July 2012 at 09:14 AM